London - British actor John Hurt, who had starring roles in The Elephant Man (1980) and Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001), revealed on Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but says he intends to go on working.

"I have recently been diagnosed with early stage pancreatic cancer. I am undergoing treatment and am more than optimistic about a satisfactory outcome, as indeed is the medical team," Hurt, 75, said in a statement released to Britain's Press Association.

He was quoted as saying that he intends to continue working, with one of his projects in the future being to record the play Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell for BBC radio.

He was nominated for Oscars for his roles in The Elephant Man and Midnight Express (1978) and also starred in the space science-fiction film Alien (1979). He recently finished filming for a new version of Tarzan and will appear with Gemma Arterton and Derek Jacobi in The History Of Love.

Agence France-Presse