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Apple Businesses

Steve Jobs Undergoes Cancer Surgery 413

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."
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Steve Jobs Undergoes Cancer Surgery

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  • by erick99 ( 743982 ) <homerun@gmail.com> on Sunday August 01, 2004 @10:13PM (#9860964)
    Jobs was informed, prior to surgery, that there were no user serviceable parts within his pancreas but he could have his pancreas refurbished/rebuilt for a reasonable fee.

    Cheers!

    Erick

  • by Anonymous Coward
    and remove his anus
  • by SYFer ( 617415 ) <syfer@FREEBSDsyfer.net minus bsd> on Sunday August 01, 2004 @10:13PM (#9860969) Homepage
    Your virus definitions (DAT files) were last updated June 09, 2004, and may be out of date.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.

    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 /Users/steve/pancreas/*
    Scanning file /Users/steve/pancreas/cells.org...

    Summary report on /Users/steve/pancreas/*
    File(s)
    Total files: ... 50
    Clean: ... 49
    Not scanned: ... 0
    Cleaned: ... 1

    Congratulations, Steve jobs! Huzzah! LiveSTRONG!

  • by nmoog ( 701216 ) on Sunday August 01, 2004 @10:14PM (#9860970) Homepage Journal
    To keep the "funny" posts away.
  • by TiMac ( 621390 ) on Sunday August 01, 2004 @10:14PM (#9860972)
    ...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.
  • RDF (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 01, 2004 @10:15PM (#9860979)
    I guess too much RDF causes cancer....
  • All Jokes Aside (Score:5, Informative)

    by orion024 ( 694922 ) on Sunday August 01, 2004 @10:15PM (#9860980)
    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.
  • by usefool ( 798755 )
    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)
    • Well, why don't you just look back to the time when Jobs wasn't at Apple? Let's see... their OS stopped advancing, their profits disappeared, and people were predicting their collapse all the time.

      Jobs comes back, and you get iMac, OS X, servers, iPod, and good times.
      • Apple would take quite a hit if Jobs suddenly stopped. It might be a good time to start showcasing some new faces regardless of the good prognosis, just in case some freak accident were to fell our man!
  • I Wonder... (Score:4, Funny)

    by Op7imus_Prim3 ( 645940 ) on Sunday August 01, 2004 @10:16PM (#9860993) Journal
    was the operation covered under Applecare?
  • by Cyberglich ( 525256 ) * on Sunday August 01, 2004 @10:17PM (#9860999)
    That droping acid to design new computer poducts causes cancer.
  • What!? (Score:5, Funny)

    by xpurple ( 1227 ) on Sunday August 01, 2004 @10:17PM (#9861000) Homepage Journal
    You mean he's not immortal!?

  • A link to his letter (Score:5, Informative)

    by ShallowThroat ( 667311 ) on Sunday August 01, 2004 @10:17PM (#9861001)
    • by daviddennis ( 10926 ) * <david@amazing.com> on Sunday August 01, 2004 @11:06PM (#9861230) Homepage
      I wish Steve all the best, but I had to laugh at this line at the end of his letter:

      PS: I'm sending this from my hospital bed using my 17-inch PowerBook and an Airport Express.

      That's our Steve, always promoting his products!

      Of course that doesn't mean they're not great, and he doesn't have every right to do so, because they is and he does. But somehow I had to laugh, perhaps at his resiliance more than anything else. Life goes on, right?

      D
    • haha what? (Score:5, Funny)

      by vena ( 318873 ) on Sunday August 01, 2004 @11:07PM (#9861237)
      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.
  • by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 01, 2004 @10:17PM (#9861004)
    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.
  • by dacarr ( 562277 )
    Nothing like serious illness to sober you up right quick. Steve, if you read this, hope you're doing well.
  • Good to Hear (Score:2, Insightful)

    by agraupe ( 769778 )
    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.
  • Double-take (Score:5, Funny)

    by mikeophile ( 647318 ) on Sunday August 01, 2004 @10:20PM (#9861021)
    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?
  • by justin_saunders ( 99661 ) on Sunday August 01, 2004 @10:22PM (#9861029) Homepage
    This is a good time to reflect on our own mortality.

    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....
    ..eh who cares. I JUST WANNA PLAY DOOM 3.

    And get well Steve. Take the time off to think about how great a colour iPod with bluetooth would be.

    cheers,
    Justin.
  • Steve Jobs gets a cancer so rare it shows up in 1% of cancer cases. Making it just rarer than the OS he runs, which shows up in 2% of comptuers ;)

    And yes, we know that Steve Ballmer already has the much more statistically prevalent; Brain Cancer [ntk.net]
  • by tm2b ( 42473 ) on Sunday August 01, 2004 @10:23PM (#9861037) Journal
    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.
    • "Philip! I've got good news and bad news!"
      "Give it to me straight Terrence."
      "The good news is.. you have a clean bill of health."
      "Oh what a relief!"
      "The bad news is.. you have cancer!"

      (wav [fortunecity.com])
  • by Snagle ( 644973 ) on Sunday August 01, 2004 @10:25PM (#9861048)
    An apple a day keeps the cancer away.....oh....guess not.

    Get well soon steve
  • Ah-ha! (Score:3, Funny)

    by iamdrscience ( 541136 ) on Sunday August 01, 2004 @10:27PM (#9861061) Homepage
    If an apple a day truly kept the doctor away then this never would have happened. I knew that saying was just marketing hype.
  • by cytoman ( 792326 ) on Sunday August 01, 2004 @10:30PM (#9861067)
    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.
  • A Wake Up Call? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by femto ( 459605 )
    Remember that everyone is a potential dead person. Live your life as if you are going to be dead tomorrow.
    • That is a horrible way to live.

      If you live everyday like it is your last you will have never prepared for the future. Instead I think you would want to live everyday as "how you would like to be remembered if you were to die tomorrow".
    • by phrasebook ( 740834 ) on Monday August 02, 2004 @12:37AM (#9861504)
      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 ...
  • last line (Score:3, Interesting)

    by jeffehobbs ( 419930 ) on Sunday August 01, 2004 @10:32PM (#9861077) Homepage

    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
    • Re:last line (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Basehart ( 633304 )
      I've been looking around for the kind of symptoms that these really nasty pancreatic cancers produce and it seems there are few that show themselves until it's basically kind of too late. So, I'm guessing he gets a full body scan of some kind every six months - not something your local health care provider will get too excited about.

      One pointer is that he leads such a healthy lifestyle, so no smoking/overweight triggers (apart from all the stress) which leads me to think it may be a genetic issue that hi
  • by nordicfrost ( 118437 ) * on Sunday August 01, 2004 @10:37PM (#9861103)
    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).
  • rumor sites (Score:5, Funny)

    by SuperBanana ( 662181 ) on Sunday August 01, 2004 @10:42PM (#9861127)
    Reuters reports that doctors successfully removed a cancerous tumor from the pancreas of Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

    Thus dispelling rumors circulating for days (on MacOSRumors et al) that Steve was:

    • Getting his penis enlarged
    • undergoing liposuction
    • having a gender-change operation (both sexes, for compatibility)
    • having breast implants installed

    ....and of course, various other unsubstantiated rumors not worth mentioning (everyone figured out the bionic legs were bogus right away).

  • In close proximity to the Jobs Reality Distortion Field, the cancerous mass forgot what it had originally intended to do, and did what Steve required instead:

    Allowed itself to become one of the rarer types (less threatening if found early), then went ahead and got itself found early. ("You don't need to harm me... Move along..." -- Jedi Mind Trick.)

    Seriously, as others have said, get well soon Steve!
  • by micron ( 164661 ) on Sunday August 01, 2004 @10:51PM (#9861170)
    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?
    • From what I see, Apple = Steve. Apple's success lies in Steve's hands, or more to the point, as goes Jobs, goes Apple.

      It sure looks that way. The upside to having Jobs pay attention to so many details in a new product launch is you know what you're getting when you buy an Apple product. The downside is there's no one who knows what to do when he's gone because he's micro-managed everything.

      It's very hard to start a company that lasts more than 5 years. It's even harder to start a company that survives its

    • First, an editor's nitpick: It's case in point. ;-)

      Steve's return to Apple brought some much-needed focus and discipline to the company. It doesn't leak like a sieve any more, its employees and managers tend to stay on-task since there's a clear direction and the people who work there--from top to bottom--are the best.

      Besides, he's going to be back at work soon--they don't dare f*** up!

      Go, Steve, go!
    • "does Jobs have a successor?"

      If not I'll gladly take on that responsibility.
  • Who knew.. (Score:3, Informative)

    by lpontiac ( 173839 ) on Sunday August 01, 2004 @11:00PM (#9861205)
    .. that the reality distortion field was ionising?
  • Medical Information (Score:5, Informative)

    by cytoman ( 792326 ) on Sunday August 01, 2004 @11:04PM (#9861219)
    I got this from http://www.umm.edu/ency/article/000393.htm [umm.edu] Pancreatic islet cell tumor

    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

  • by a-aiyar ( 528921 ) on Sunday August 01, 2004 @11:06PM (#9861229) Homepage
    There has been a lot of speculation about how Steve Jobs' cancer was diagnosed, and whether he has annuals CT scans or MRIs.

    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:

    • intense sweating, anxiety, hunger
    • tremor, rapid heart rate
    • dizziness, obscured vision
    • rapid fluctuations in weight
    • diarrhea, abdominal pain, possible vomiting of blood

    Steve's doctors would have tested for a number of things including:

    • elevated serum glucagon
    • elevated fasting glucose levels, and high glucose tolerance
    • elevated levels of serum insulin
    • possibly increased levels of gastrin (which would cause the increased hunger)

    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.

  • Disgusting (Score:4, Insightful)

    by MacOSXHead ( 201757 ) on Sunday August 01, 2004 @11:10PM (#9861248)
    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.
    • Re:Disgusting (Score:5, Insightful)

      by aluminumcube ( 542280 ) * <greg&elysion,com> on Monday August 02, 2004 @12:50AM (#9861539)
      Having been an EMT and having had a couple of family members suffer through various forms of cancer, let me give you a little piece of advice- humor is the glue that keeps people alive.

      I have yet to see a single comment that wished Steve harm or anything less then a full recovery. If someone had said something along those lines, it would be crossing the line into "Asshole Land," but surfing at +2 carma, I have seen nothing like that.

      Otherwise, lighten up. Cancer jokes are funny and the people that laugh at them the hardest are usually people who have/had it.
    • Re:Disgusting (Score:3, Insightful)

      by agildehaus ( 112245 )
      I have seen no posts which do not respectfully make light of the situation. Jobs is doing well from what we all can gather, and so we're punching him in the arm a bit to congratulate him.

      Much love for science and its ability to fix some of the ailments we all face.
    • Re:Disgusting (Score:3, Insightful)

      by mjj12 ( 10449 )
      >I am aghast at the some of the remarks to this news.

      I'm not. In this comment section I have seen lots of people express that it is good news that Steve Jobs is likely to make a quick recovery, and lots of people wish him the best. (I will add to that. Get well soon Steve). And there is discussion of the actual illness, as well as lots of jokes comparing his cancer and the medical procedures to practices and products of Apple and the computer industry. Few if any of the jokes strike me as mean-spirited
    • Re:Disgusting (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Idarubicin ( 579475 ) on Monday August 02, 2004 @10:33AM (#9862848) Journal
      I am aghast at the some of the remarks to this news.

      In general, the remarks I have seen have been respectful of Steve's condition. Yes, some have shown a sense of humour, and some have taken a few shots at Apple's warranty plans. It should be noted that Steve has an excellent prognosis. Non-metastatic cancer, well localized and readily excised. People would be more circumspect if the outcome were more in doubt.

      Somber, humourless expressions of support are all well and good for politicians, and they're fine from close friends and family--in moderation.

      From anybody else, come on. For people who are ill, the last thing they need are folks moping morosely around their hospital bed acting like they're already dead. Steve expects to be all right, and he's apparently quite well enough to be plugging the Powerbook and AirPort from his bed. Yes, he has cancer. Yes, he's having surgery. It's more serious than a tonsillectomy, but easier than a coronary artery bypass graft. For that matter, it will probably be done laparascopically, so it's less traumatic than, say, a C-section.

      The problem is that word 'cancer'. It seems to have the same magical effect as 'terrorism'. The words are the ultimate trump cards in medicine and politics, respectively. Hear either one, and you're supposed to sit in stony, respectful, mournful silence.

      Damn it, get real! These people are our friends and family. Should we stop laughing with them just because they're ill? Treat them differently? Shy away from smiling around them? Suck the fun out of their lives because joy, and humour, and laughter are only for the healthy?

      In case some dumbass wants to spout off on my 'right' to have an opinion on this--yes, I have some experience with cancer. My best friend's mother passed away from a very aggressive breast cancer. My great uncle is pushing eighty after surviving a bout with lung cancer. I do cancer research for a living, in a large research and teaching hospital. Oh, and there seems to be a tendency towards Alzheimer's in my family, which is a really scary way to go.

      I feel for the parent poster's nephew, and everyone who is facing cancer. It is scary, and it isn't funny. What I see here on Slashdot, though, it not people laughing at Jobs' cancer. I see people laughing with Jobs, because he's going to beat cancer. I see people laughing at Jobs for the same reasons they always have, and it's a taste of normality. I see people laughing at Apple, because it's friendly ribbing that Jobs is used to. He's one of the geek family; he took the time to tell us from his hospital bed what kind of hardware he was emailing from. The parent poster still plays games and jokes with his nephew, doesn't he?

  • But when you think about the fact that it's quite likely that a good 30-40% of us will end up dying from cancer eventually, it's not all that funny. The way I see it, by the time many of us youngins (and there are lots of 20-somethings around here on Slashdot) get old, there will be lots of ways modern medicine can keep us alive longer. There are lots of good ways to treat heart and cardiovascular disease, and I think those diseases tend to be fundamentally simpler than cancer in their causes and solution
  • PET scan (Score:2, Interesting)

    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 obv
  • by nlinecomputers ( 602059 ) on Sunday August 01, 2004 @11:20PM (#9861294)
    Damn. It blue screened AGAIN?
  • The far more common form of pancreatic cancer is called adenocarcinoma, which is currently not curable and usually carries a life expectancy of around one year after diagnosis. I mention this because when one hears "pancreatic cancer" (or Googles it), one immediately encounters this far more common and deadly form, which, thank god, is not what I had.

    This is starting to be one of those lessons in being specific with an explanation because the most common result on a search engine is not what you want peop

  • by Dylbert ( 139751 ) on Monday August 02, 2004 @12:16AM (#9861452) Homepage
    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.
  • by cabra771 ( 197990 ) <<cabra771> <at> <yahoo.com>> on Monday August 02, 2004 @12:52AM (#9861541) Homepage
    Ok everybody, let's get together and buy Steve an iPod to cheer him up a little.
  • Poor Tim (Score:4, Funny)

    by victor_the_cleaner ( 723411 ) on Monday August 02, 2004 @08:52AM (#9862228)
    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.
  • by peter303 ( 12292 ) on Monday August 02, 2004 @09:06AM (#9862306)
    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.
  • by amichalo ( 132545 ) on Monday August 02, 2004 @10:36AM (#9862878)
    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.
    • Nothing wrong with enterprises heavily based on one person...As long as the person properly takes care of successors.

      While the biggest flaw in democracy is that the inept cripple the apted (the efficiency of the whole system is the product of the efficiency of it's parts...and noone can tell me there is no null in any parlament), the biggest flaw in single leadership is that is was most of the time more or less chance that the people getting the job were capable of it. A monarchy, when the crown is given t
  • Prognosis (Score:3, Informative)

    by Tucan ( 60206 ) on Monday August 02, 2004 @10:43AM (#9862950)
    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.
  • Rumors (Score:5, Funny)

    by peteMG ( 87639 ) on Monday August 02, 2004 @11:14AM (#9863127) Homepage
    Perhaps the next big thing coming up is:
    • Apple announces they'll be at some big medical conference
    • It's found out that Steve is giving the keynote
    • He talks about Apple's work in biotech and other scientific applications..
    • one more thing...
    • "We've developed a new piece of software. We call it 'Doctor'. Together with some beautiful new hardware, it can really do amazing things.. and I'd like to show it to you now."
    • cue video of a PowerBook
    • performing the cancer surgery
    • on steve
    • by itself
    • conference center thrown into chaos; Steve escapes by helicopter
    • international frenzy ensues. Apple stock rises 339948290580% (profit)

    Best wishes for luck and a speedy recovery.

It is contrary to reasoning to say that there is a vacuum or space in which there is absolutely nothing. -- Descartes

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