Alex Trebek Reveals Some of His Tumors Have Shrunk by 50 Percent: 'It's Kind of Mind-Boggling'

WhenJeopardy!hostAlex Trebekwasdiagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancerthree months ago, fans were shocked. But now the beloved Trebek has good news to share: He’s in “near remission,” according to doctors.

Still, that doesn’t mean the longtimeJeopardy!hostis totally out of the woods yet.

For more on Trebek’s treatment progress, pick up a copy of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday

Ramona Rosales

Trebek says he’ll still have to go throughseveral more rounds of chemotherapyto hopefullyget into full remission, but he’s elated at how far he’s come.

He got emotional when he learned of the good news. “But they were tears of joy, not tears of depression,” he says. (Trebek has been honest about experiencing moments of deep sadness during the past three months.)

As for why he thinks he’s doing so well with the chemotherapy, which has left him weak and occasionally depressed, he mostlycredits well wishesfrom fans and friends around the world.

“I’ve got a couple million people out there who have expressed their good thoughts, their positive energy directed towards me and their prayers,” he says. “I told the doctors, this has to be more than just the chemo, and they agreed it could very well be an important part of this.”

He adds, “I’ve got a lot of love out there headed in my direction and a lot of prayer, and I will never ever minimize the value of that.”

source: people.com