Report: The Queen Of Soul, Aretha Franklin Diagnosed With Incurable Pancreatic Cancer

Various media reports are saying that the Queen Of Soul, Aretha Franklin is battling pancreatic cancer.

Franklin underwent surgery last week, her rep told The Hollywood Reporter that it went well.

"The doctors said the surgery went well and that every one is praying for the best," the rep told THR without specifying her illness.

Pancreatic cancer claimed the lives of Patrick Swayze and Michael Landon, the survival rate from this form of cancer is low.

Dr. H. Leon Pachter, chairman of surgery at New York University Langone Medical Center told CBS News that the diagnosis is terrible news for Franklin. "It's a grim diagnosis, overall, the five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer patients is 35 percent," Pachter said.

Despite the reports, those around the singer remain optimistic.

Her cousin Brenda Corbett told the Detroit Free Press that the 68-year old Franklin "was in good spirits" and "doing really good."

Although the cases are rare, some patients have responded well to treatment. Dr Pachter says, "an individual is not a statistic." He added that some of his patients have survived more than a decade.

Let's hope and pray for the best in this situation.