Steve Jobs on medical leave - transplantation specialist discusses two likely clinical scenarios

From the WSJ:

William Chapman, transplantation chief at Washington University in St. Louis, hasn't examined Mr. Jobs personally, but said there are two likely scenarios in the CEO's case.

The first is that there was a transplant-related problem, though it would be unusual for that to happen a year and a half after the transplant.

A more likely possibility would be that the neuroendocrine tumor metastasized again. "It's really difficult to cure the disease with a liver transplant," said Mr. Chapman, adding that it's common to have some degree of recurrence. "Most people hope they reset the clock, gained some time and gained a quality of life even if you don't cure the disease."


Steve Jobs' speech at the 2005 Stanford graduation ceremony: “This is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation.”

He tells 3 stories from his life:

- Connecting the dots
- Love and loss
- About death

Mr. Jobs was diagnosed in 2004 with a rare type of pancreatic cancer called islet cell neuroendocrine tumor, which could be cured if surgery removed it promptly. He reportedly had surgery by the end of 2004 but began exhibiting weight loss in 2008. This type of cancer often metastasizes in another organ, usually the liver, during a patient's lifetime. A Tennessee hospital disclosed that Mr. Jobs had received a liver transplant there in 2009.

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose," Mr. Jobs said in the commence speech in June 2005, almost a year after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

I join everybody around the world in wishing Mr. Jobs a speedy recovery.

References:

Apple CEO Jobs to Take Medical Leave. WSJ.
“And one more thing” about Steve Jobs’ battle with cancer - Science-Based Medicine, 2011.