Monty Python 's Eric Idle Survives Pancreatic Cancer After Early Detection: 'We Are Starting to Fight Back'

Lily Idle

With the general five-year survival rate for people with pancreatic cancer hovering at 11%, Monty Python star Eric Idle hopes his story will help others — and ultimately increase that number. "I think we can make a difference," he tells PEOPLE in this week's issue. "The good news is that we are starting to fight back."

Working with Stand Up To Cancer, Idle has created the Bright Side Fund to support research and help promote early detection. "They're doing great work," he explains. "I think if we can just spread the word a little and try and raise some money, we can put it in the right direction."

Idle, who recently appeared on Fox's The Masked Singer, was first diagnosed three years ago thanks to early detection. "My doctor specializes in preventative medicine, and he makes me go for blood tests every year," the actor says. "He noticed a difference in the markers from the previous year, so he ordered an MRI and asked them to add contrast. That lit up the pancreas, and there it was."

Treatment for the actor entailed "a partly robotic" five-hour surgery. "I had a fantastic surgeon … and he cut it all out because it wasn't attached to anything; it was intact," Idle recalls. "The technicians had never seen it in that state before because they'd never seen it that early. A lot of the research is studying early warning signs."

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When Idle heard he was in the all-clear, "I cried," he says. "You can resign to whatever fate you're in. You put yourself in the hands of the doctors, and off you go. You keep smiling and whistle and then look on the bright side. And then when they tell you that you're going to survive, I mean, that was quite a moment."

The actor credits his family, his wife Tania, son Carey and daughter Lily, for their love and encouragement. "They rallied around me," he adds. "We had to move quick, and we did. There was no time to lose."

Since sharing his story, Idle has been overwhelmed by the support he's received. "I wanted to be honest and come out about the cancer and encourage people because this is very good news," he says. "I got extraordinary responses from people."

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Looking ahead, the actor is now most excited about spending quality time with his loved ones. "I'm a father, so I really enjoy my kids, and I love seeing them," Idle says. "I don't look very far in advance. I'm a writer, so I tend to get up and start early on whatever problems I've set myself. And that's a good way of avoiding any anxiety. You just spend your time trying to solve them."

To donate to the Bright Side Fund at Stand Up To Cancer, visit StandUpToCancer.org/EricIdle