Patrick Swayze is going back to work as he continues his fight against pancreatic cancer.

The Dirty Dancing star, 55, is said to have been responding well to treatment and has been given the go-ahead by his doctors to start filming a television drama series titled The Beast.

In the show, Swayze will play an unorthodox FBI veteran training a new partner who has been paid to spy on him. The series is expected to air in the U.S. next year.

His illness was diagnosed in January. Since then the actor is thought to have undergone radical chemotherapy.

Patrick Swayze enjoying an NBA basketball match last month. Doctors have given him the go-ahead to get back to work

According to the New York Times, an e-mail message from Swayze sent on Friday, said: 'I can't wait to get to work on this.'

Production by A&E Network will begin this summer in Chicago and the series is set to air in the US early next year.

'We're very excited to begin series production on 'The Beast' and even more thrilled to have Patrick on board reprising the role he played so powerfully in the pilot,' said Bob DiBitetto, general manager of A&E Network.

'Obviously we've had candid conversations with him and his doctors, and we have a fairly high degree of expectation that Patrick will be good to work a full production schedule.

'No one is using words like cured or remission or miracle.'

But DiBitetto added said that the course of treatment, which included some conventional chemotherapy along with more experimental drugs, had blunted the disease sufficiently for Swayze to return to work.

The network added that Swayze 'has responded well to treatment and his doctors have given him the go-ahead to resume working'.

'It's amazing, it's inspiring, and it's almost unprecedented.' said Zack Van Amburg, the co-president of Sony's television studio.