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Steve Jobs Undergoes Cancer Surgery
Zycom writes "Reuters reports that doctors successfully removed a cancerous tumor from the pancreas of Apple CEO Steve Jobs. In an e-mail he sent out from his hospital bed after the surgery he explained the disease, saying, "I had a very rare form of pancreatic cancer called an islet cell neuroendocrine tumor, which represents about 1 percent of the total cases of pancreatic cancer diagnosed each year, and can be cured by surgical removal if diagnosed in time (mine was)." He will not need to have any chemotherapy or radiation therapy and has an excellent prognosis. While he is recuperating, Tim Cook, head of worldwide sales and operations, will run the company."
Cheers!
Erick
http://www.busyweather.com/
and remove his anus
Your virus definitions (DAT files) were last updated June 09, 2004, and may be out of date. Please download and install new ones as soon as possible.
/Users/steve/pancreas/* /Users/steve/pancreas/cells.org...
/Users/steve/pancreas/* ... 50 ... 49 ... 0 ... 1
Your virus definitions were last updated on July 21, 2004, and appear to be up to date.
Cleaning Scan started at 2004-08-01 20:04:43 -0700Scanning
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Congratulations, Steve jobs! Huzzah! LiveSTRONG!
"...all the labours of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness..." yada yada
To keep the "funny" posts away.
...I don't think I'd be able to resist the temptation to say "By the way, I'm a hardcore Windows fan" right as he went under anesthesia. Then tell him the truth when he came back around.
I guess too much RDF causes cancer....
I'm glad all is going well for him. He's lucky he fell into that rare 1%. Pancreatic cancer is one of the more deadly types of cancer.
I would like to ask what would happen if, one day, Steve Jobs wasn't there for Apple anymore, will it still be as innovative as before? (not that I wish anything bad happens to him)
Uselessful technology (Air-Charged
was the operation covered under Applecare?
EGG, the Electronic Gamers Guild
That droping acid to design new computer poducts causes cancer.
You mean he's not immortal!?
http://www.xpurple.com
Here's a link to an article incuding his full letter
The "Insert Quote Here" line is almost as predictable as inserting an actual quote.
Reuters reports that doctors successfully removed a cancerous tumor from the pancreas of Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
They called it Microsoft.
Yeah, yeah, cancer isn't funny. But karma whoring overcomes all.
there must have been some pieces of APPLE somewhere there !!!
We learn from history that we learn nothing from history - Tom Veneziano
Guys with insane wealth get preventative yearly CT scans.
I've had a love/hate relationship with Macs (as with windows), but I still wouldn't wish this on anyone. It's good to hear that he is recovering.
While he is recuperating, Tim Cook, head of worldwide sales and operations, will run the company.
Am I the only one who read the word "run" as "ruin" on first read?
This is a good time to reflect on our own mortality.
..eh who cares. I JUST WANNA PLAY DOOM 3.
For all the whining, posing, Microsoft/Apple/Linux bashing we do; for all the work related stress we put up with and all the missed opportunities to spend time with loved ones; we only have a limited time on Earth.
The most important thing is....
And get well Steve. Take the time off to think about how great a colour iPod with bluetooth would be.
cheers,
Justin.
"My cat's breath smells like cat food." - The Tao of Ralph Wiggum.
I find it interesting the way it was all handled, outside of stock trading hours.
I wonder if his doctor had a dark enough sense of humor to say something like,
"Well, we got your test results back. Your liver is fine, your heart is great, and your pulmonary health is excellent.
Oh, and one more thing..."
Great to hear he'll be fine.
"It is our blasphemy which has made us great, and will sustain us, and which the gods secretly admire in us." - Zelazny
Cheers,
Erick
http://www.busyweather.com/
An apple a day keeps the cancer away.....oh....guess not.
Get well soon steve
If an apple a day truly kept the doctor away then this never would have happened. I knew that saying was just marketing hype.
Now that his islet cells have been removed, I guess Steve Jobs is now a Type-1 diabetic, condemned to survive on iNSULIN iNJECTIONS like many others (including me). Or maybe he'll get one of those hi-tech insulin pump/blood glucose monitor combos... i hope that stem-cell research now accelerates its effort to find a cure for type-1 diabetes. Poor taste in humor acknowledged (see above use of iNSULIN) and apologies submitted in advance.
the last line of his memo:
PS: I'm sending this from my hospital bed using my 17-inch PowerBook and an Airport Express.
Note he stops just short of asserting it was the Airport Express that cured his cancer...
In all seriousness, any time anyone beats cancer it is Good News. Has there been any reports on how the cancer was caught so quickly?
~jeff
All competition put aside, the modern IT world wouldn't be the same without you. If you hadn't dragged Apple kicking and screaming into the new millennium, who would have given Microsoft a run for its money (until Linux on the desktop comes)?
As a child of a twice cancer survivour, I wish all of your family well, I know they are praying for you (Even if they aren't religious).
Thus dispelling rumors circulating for days (on MacOSRumors et al) that Steve was:
....and of course, various other unsubstantiated rumors not worth mentioning (everyone figured out the bionic legs were bogus right away).
Please help metamoderate.
Jobs should have had these folks work on his pancreas, he would have saved a bundle!
http://www.ipodbattery.com/
Hate to break it to you, but here's sorta how it works.
Jobs says "let's make an MP3 player better than anything else out there", or someone suggests it, and Jobs says "OK, let's look into it".
One person sees what "anything else" has. Another sees what people might be willing to pay. Another runs some numbers on what it might cost to build. Another works on a little concept art based on what the engineers think is reasonable in terms of size etc.
Then everyone comes back and presents their stuff- not necessarily to Steve, maybe someone under him, who then brings it to him. Jobs says "hey, looks like we can do this and make money off it. Let's whip up some prototypes", etc.
Please help metamoderate.
First, I am an Apple fan. Go Steve Go!
As a shareholder, and considering that Apple is a public company, does Jobs have a successor?
Case and point: We all saw what happened last time Steve left. He came back and essentially saved the company from destruction. He was quoted as saying something along the lines of "I am not going to let someone wreck this company again".
From what I see, Apple = Steve. Apple's success lies in Steve's hands, or more to the point, as goes Jobs, goes Apple.
Does anyone have insight on this? What happens if something happens and Steve is not at the helm any more? Does Apple die with him?
.. that the reality distortion field was ionising?
Overview
Definition:
A pancreatic islet cell tumor is an uncommon tumor of the pancreas that arises from a distinct type of cell in the pancreas, the islet cell. Normally, islet cells produce insulin and other hormones, and islet cell tumors can also produce hormones.
Alternative Names:
Islet cell tumors; Islet of Langerhans tumor; Neuroendocrine tumors
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:
In the normal pancreas, cells called islet cells produce hormones that regulate a variety of bodily functions, such as blood sugar level and the production of stomach acid.
Tumors that arise from islet cells of the pancreas can also produce a variety of hormones, though some do not. Although islet cells produce many different hormones, most tumors secrete only one specific hormone that leads to specific symptoms. Pancreatic islet cell tumors can be benign or malignant (cancerous).
Islet cell tumors include insulinomas, glucagonomas, and gastrinomas (Zollinger-Ellison syndrome). A family history of multiple endocrine neoplasia, type I (MEN I) is a risk factor for the development of islet cell tumors.
Symptoms:
* Sweating
* Tremor
* Rapid heart rate
* Anxiety
* Hunger
* Dizziness
* Headache
* Clouding of vision
* Confusion
* Behavioral changes
* Convulsions
* Loss of consciousness
* Skin rash that migrates on the face, abdomen, perineum, buttocks, or lower extremities
o May be crusty and scaly
o May have raised lesions filled with clear fluid or pus
* Inflamed mouth and tongue
* Weight loss
* Weight gain (unintentional)
* Peptic ulcer pain
* Vomiting blood
* Diarrhea
* Abdominal pain
Note: The symptoms depend upon the type of tumor and the hormone produced.
Signs and tests:
The type of tests performed may vary depending upon the symptoms associated with the condition. Some of the following abnormalities may be detected on testing:
* elevated serum glucagon level
* an abdominal CT scan may reveal a pancreatic tumor (sometimes the tumor may be too small to see with a CT scan)
* elevated fasting glucose level
* abnormal glucose tolerance test
* catheterization of the pancreas to show high hormone level in the veins (this involves putting a wire into a blood vessel and taking blood out for measurements)
* MRI of abdomen to show pancreatic tumor (MRI can sometimes see smaller tumors than those seen with a CT scan)
* elevated serum insulin level
* elevated serum insulin C-peptide
* low fasting glucose level
* increased gastrin level
* positive secretin stimulation test for pancreas
* positive calcium infusion test
Treatment:
Treatment will depend upon the type of tumor discovered and whether the tumor is benign or malignant. Malignant tumors spread to other organs, grow aggressively, and may not be treatable. In general, tumors are removed surgically, if possible.
If malignant cancerous cells spread (metastasize) to the liver, a portion of the liver may also be removed, if possible. If the cancer is widespread, various forms of chemotherapy may be used to shrink the tumors.
If the abnormal production of hormones is causing problems, medications may be given to counteract their effects. For example, the overproduction of gastrin in the case of gastrinomas results in oversecretion of acid in the stomach, and medications that block acid secretion can be taken to reduce symptoms.
Expectations (prognosis):
Patients may be cured if tumors are surgically removed before they have spread to other organs. If tumors are malignant, chemotherapy may be used, but is usually unsuccessful at cur
I don't know if he does, but the neuroendocrine tumor in his islet cells would have affected insulin production which in turn would have caused symptoms such as:
Steve's doctors would have tested for a number of things including:
They would have have then ordered abdominal MRI scans, because these tumors (in the Islet of Langerhans) would likely be too small to see by CT scans). If the MRIs were positive, surgery would be next.
If the tumor had metastasized, a portion of the liver would have also been removed, and chemotherapy would have been used. As that appears not to be the case, Steve's tumor is likely a pre-malignant lesion.
PS: I'm sending this from my hospital bed using my 17-inch PowerBook and an Airport Express.
dude's in the hospital and still manages a plug. bravo, mate.
...keeps the doctor away. Opps.. maybe he stood to close to the Windows®
Life is not for the lazy.
I am aghast at the some of the remarks to this news.
First of all, Steve is a father to several children and is sick with a serious illness. This alone should cause you to some show sort of decency in your remarks.
I have a nephew who is fighting Leukemia. When you visit someone you know or who is a member of your family with cancer, it is hardly funny.
The Slashdot community may not respect Steve Jobs for what he did for modern computing. That is their ignorance. I just cannot understand the callousness of some people who poke fun other's tragedies.
I wish S.J. a speedy recovery, foremost for his family. I do not know him, but I know the result of his imagination. We should all strive to have that impact on the world.
Jobs' Unreplaceable Pancreas Lasts Only 588 Months!!
I regularly report MSN spam to the Hotmail admins.
I would not be surprised if his tumor was detected using a somewhat-newly developed technology known as a PET (positron emission tomography) scan.
The one thing that all cancerous cells have in common is a heavily anaerobic metabolism that works very quickly in order to support the continual state of mitosis that cancerous cells are in. An amount of radio-tagged sugars are introduced into the body and an image can then be created where areas that metabolize the most show up the darkest. Some areas are obviously normal tissues that simply use more sugar (muscle tissue, liver, etc.) but an area that stands out could be a candidate for further testing.
Damn. It blue screened AGAIN?
Slashdot, home of supporters of free software, free music, and free speech.Except for Moderators that disagree with you.
This is actually an interesting question. I am not specifically aware of any general screening possible for pancreatic cancer either. There are many blood markers that can be positive for specific cancer types, but it seems more likely that an MRI or CT scan for something else (unrelated) showed this tumor.
Actualy, that is probobly not how it went down.
One can think of the pancreas as functionaly divided into two systems: the exocrine pancreas and the endocrine pancreas.
The exocrine pancreas is involved in the digestion of food and is where the vast majority of pancreatic tumors occur. One of the reasons they are so often fatal is that tumors of the exocrine pancreas rarely produce symptoms befor they extend into other structures.
The endocrine pancreas produces several hormones, including insulin, glucogon, VIP, somatostatin, and so on. Tumors of this portion of the pancreas often do produce symptoms secondary to overproduction of one or more of these hormones.
Jobs tumor was one of the endocrine types (he does not say more specificaly) so it would not be unusual for his tumor to have prompted studies which led to its detection.
All just speculation, of course.
Created the notion that computers should be well designed, not just raw utilitarian functionalism?
You might disagree, and you're entitled to. Me, I think Jobs has immeasurably improved my experience of using computers.
What has he done? Re-energized a bunch of creative engineers and designers. Led them to take on the world and design insanely great products.
Is he a coder? Or an engineer? Or a designer? No. He's a visionary. We need all those sorts of people to advance the state of any art.
You are, of course, free to hate his vision. I do not. : )
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
I couldn't resist. It was futile.
Lets see. Start here and get enlightened.
It's either on the beat or off the beat, it's that easy.
I moderate therefore I rule!
--
Like it or not, an idea is only as good as its salesman.
See my other response to your post on the subject.
Woz didn't turn Apple around, leading the company to develop a kick ass new operating system and this sweet Powerbook I'm working on.
Woz is a freakin' genius, and a real mensch. But just because he's great doesn't mean Jobs has to be not-great. Jobs is a great leader.
Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
Reality distortion field. He makes people believe anything can happen.
And then it does.
When they came for the communists, I said "He's next door. Take him away. Goddam commies."
In other news, Steve Jobs dies an untimely death Monday morning when one of the hospitals computers, running Microsoft Windows, suffers a minor "glitch" and prescribes an overdose of medication. Investigations are still underway.
The flippy one is only two prong. If you're connected to a USB item without ground, you'll get a shock through the case of the Powerbook if you're using only the two prong adapter.
It happened to me a lot when I was overseas with flakey main power.
Without Steve, a lot of us wouldn't have the jobs we do have (or don't have?) right aboot now - nor would we be using some of the taken-for-granted-now-but-revolutionary-at-the-tim e gadgets that we rely on every day.
Get well soon, Steve. If the comments to this post are any gauge, you have the support of the nerd community across the globe.
I swear, if I see another Slashdot comment with "It will be interesting to see"...
Live your life as if you are going to be dead tomorrow.
...
Okay that makes sense. Here is my plan for every day of the rest of my life:
7am: wake up, eat an enormous breakfast
8am - midday: make funeral arrangements
afternoon: give away my cds, computer etc.
night: go look at the stars, or something
7am: wake up, eat an enormous breakfast
8am - midday: make funeral arrangements
afternoon: give away my cds, computer etc.
night: go look at the stars, or something
7am: wake up, eat an enormous breakfast
8am - midday: make funeral arrangements
afternoon: give away my cds, computer etc.
night: go look at the stars, or something
7am: wake up, eat an enormous breakfast
8am - midday: make funeral arrangements
afternoon: give away my cds, computer etc.
night: go look at the stars, or something
7am: wake up, eat an enormous breakfast
8am - midday: make funeral arrangements
afternoon: give away my cds, computer etc.
night: go look at the stars, or something
7am: wake up, eat an enormous breakfast
8am - midday: make funeral arrangements
afternoon: give away my cds, computer etc.
night: go look at the stars, or something
"Duck head". Called that because it looks vaguely like a Disney(R) trademarked character when viewed at the right angle. If you squint. It's true it's not normally covered by warranty: they're very simple physical parts that would only normally break due to abuse by a user. If you can explain the nature of the failure to AppleCare support, and indicate you didn't mistreat the poor thing, they might send you a free one. Hope this helps. :-)
Live simply, that others may simply live. -Gandhi
... one of the authors of PearPC was hit by a train and killed.
More on their site
Sig: I stole this sig.
Ok everybody, let's get together and buy Steve an iPod to cheer him up a little.
-my other sig is your mom
Did you just seriously imply that you need to "talk to developers at WWDC" like you do(nice horn tootin' by the way) to know Jobs micromanages? It's probably his most infamous personality quirk, aside from his massive ego, aka the Steve Reality Distortion Field.
You missed my point entirely. The original Jobs Fanboy said "ohmygosh, because, without Steve, we wouldn't have had..."
Which is absurd, and ignores the fact that even if Jobs pushes his nose into everything, at the end of the day, 98% of the work was done by other people. I can't stand it when people attribute the end product entirely to CEOs...
Please help metamoderate.
So how many times do you think Steve is going to be checking in on Tim? I say he gets about 5-10 calls per day, then of course Steve will show up for un-announced visits.
I certainly hope there is not a single slip-up when Steve is gone, otherwise Tim is out the door in September.
It was diagnosed by a sudden case of jaundice- turning orange and peeing black. The pancreas outlet is near the bile duct, so the tumor messed that up. This is basically a good sign, because if you diagnois it by adominal pain, it has probably spread too far for the operation.
The Whipple operation removes a good fraction of your digestive system- part of pancreas, part of stomach, part of colon, gall bladder. My friend lost 50 pounds from post-op recovery and radiation. However has gained half that back. He's had to learn how to eat on a diminished digestive system. A sliver of the pancreas was left, so no insulin is necessary.
I find it interesting that the New York Times version of the story is titled, 'Apple Chief Has Emergency Cancer Surgery' seems they had to throw that 'Emergency' in there. The other places I have seen the story never mention 'Emergency' in the title or the body of the article.
Actually, they're brushed metal, like Iron Man.
First: Steve, best wishes and speedy recovery. Millions of people are praying for you and wishing you well.
Second: Does anyone think this will serve as a 'wake up' call to Apple's leadership and innovation practices?
I am a Switcher and what I found when I started following the world-that-is-Apple that Steve === Apple. He was a founder, when he was outed the company went on a death spiral, when he came back it got a second life with the 1st gen iMac and now Appel rules digital music.
But is that the best way to run a company? Certainly you NEED a strong leader, but it seems a bit pied piper to me. What would the next years look like for Apple if Steve had had terminal cancer? Has Apple grown into an organization that can go on without him?
I work for a small business and our founder and president of three decades will soon retire. He has run his company very patriarchially (sp) and it has been interesting to see senior managment change their styles to rely less upon the president for decision making and instead, take that on themselves.
I use that as an illustration of growing pains that Apple may one day soon face. How to instil the innovation and business savvy of Steve Jobs throughout the organization so that Apple will be a strong company well past Steve's tenure.
I only came here to do two things; kick some ass, and drink some beer...looks like we're almost out of beer.
Because this is a rare tumor there is not a lot of information available about the expected duration of survival following diagnosis. Based on a very small study of patients who had surgical treatment for nonfunctioning neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas (the relevant category for neuroendocrine tumors) the median survival among patients is more than 10 years if the cancer has not spread to the lymph nodes. If the lymph nodes are positive for cancer then median survival is about 6 years. Because these statistics are based on only a few cases it is really impossible to say what Steve's individual prognosis would be. However, he's clearly better off with this type of tumor than with an adenocarcinoma, which has a median survival of about 18 months for the 20% of patients who are lucky enough to be diagnosed early enough to have surgery. Median survival is only about 4-5 months among those for whom surgery is not an option.
I hope things continue to go well for him.
Best wishes for luck and a speedy recovery.
Geez, ever hear of gallows humor? Who among us hasn't lost someone dear to cancer, or has someone close to them battling the disease. Yeah, it happens. I haven't seen a single post that wished ill upon Steve Jobs. Get a sense of humor... by the way, they say laughing reduces the risk of cancer. So consider this group therapy.
Wow! He's very lucky they caught it early. Most people don't survive pancreatic cancer as it will usually metastisize much easier than other cancer types.
Interesting coincidence that I just had a lecture (med school) this morning about a pancreatic cancer case and then get on slashdot to read that Jobs has it.
I wish him well. It's one of the worst cancers to get.
Bill Hicks died from pancreatic cancer on February 26, 1994.
:)))
He was a stand up comedian known for his controversial political topics, showing a --fairly uncommon-- tendency to tell the simple, naked truth.
I wish all the Bills out there were the same... yes Mr. Gates, I am talking to you
Here there are some of his quotes.
In these strange days we are living, we cannot afford forgetting his humour.
Dear Steve,
...err, nevermind.
& pr ev=/search%3Fq%3DAAPL%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF -8%26sa%3DG&q=stocks:AAPL+
r ic kell/
:-) Having fun yet?
... (tap, tap, tap).
...)
Here are a few things to help you pass the time (yes, we know you read Slashdot).
You are for all intents and purposes "on mandatory holiday", make the most of it.
We assume you have a Powerbook on your roll over table and some kind of mouse, so shoo everyone away and have 'em close the door.
First update your OS, go to
Hmmmm, to get started, let's smack some penguins.
http://henriluoma.net/pingu/
If anyone comes in, go here on a tab in Safari, CLICK! lalalala-I'm doing business.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8
OK, that's enough excitement, chill for a bit, this is a girl I used to know - made a few records back in the day, you might like it.
http://www.universalrecords.com/quicktime/edieb
OK, awake? Let's have some real fun, First, get a throw away email account.
http://mail.yahoo.com/?.intl=us
You know get a screen account name like "ByteMe!@yahoo.com"
Set?
So, ask yourself what have you wanted to say to some of these jokers on certain sites that you couldn't because, well, you haven't had the time?
Go crazy. the Hospitals IP number IS temporary, right?
(practice your maniacal laugh) It helps if you give the morphine drip a couple of sqeezes.
Take a break, more music.
http://corinnesmusic.com/
(yeah, I like her)
Back?
What to do, what to do
These guys are always fun:
http://www.appleturns.com/
Don't split a stitch Steve-o.
Alrighty then, since your're pretty much left to your own devices here, I think the Army still has that free shoot 'em up on their site:
http://www.americasarmy.com/
I know you got the hang of it, so I'll be wishing you the best, get well, you know we love you.
(Never mind the Bullocks
P.S. Ask for the ICE CREAM - they have it you know.
~hylas