It is understandable that the top Google search inquiriestoday are linked to the Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs, decision to step down. Apple's Board of Directors today announcedthat Steve Jobs has resigned as Chief Executive Officer, and the Board hasnamed Tim Cook, previously Apple's Chief Operating Officer, as the company'snew CEO. Jobs has been elected Chairman of the Board and Cook will join theBoard, effective immediately.
Here's Steve'sletter to the board and community:
I have always said if there ever came a day when Icould no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be thefirst to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come. I hereby resign as CEOof Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of theBoard, director and Apple employee. As far as my successor goes, I stronglyrecommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO ofApple. I believe Apple's brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it.And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role. Ihave made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all forthe many years of being able to work alongside you.
While there are multiple potential aspects for further discussion andspeculations, I would like review the main reason for this, unexpected formany, decision. And the reason is � Pancreatic Cancer � one of the most deadlyillnesses today.
Steve Jobs has battled a rare form of pancreatic cancer foryears, undergoing a series of aggressive treatments, including a livertransplant, and surviving longer than many others with the disease.
Jobs was diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer,called a neuroendocrine tumor, in 2003, but his illness was not disclosed untilthe following year, after he'd tried a special diet treatment and had surgery.
In June 2008, he appeared at a trade event looking thin andfrail. Apple said he was suffering from a "bug," but reports latersurfaced that he had surgery and lost weight as a result. In January 2009, Jobssaid a hormone imbalance had caused his weight loss. Two weeks later he gave updaily oversight of Apple for six months, saying his health problems were moreserious. That June, a Memphis hospital confirmed that Jobs had had a livertransplant.
His latest announcement could be a sign that his pancreaticcancer has returned, says Richard Goldberg, a professor at the University ofNorth Carolina-Chapel Hill's Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Goldberg has no knowledge of Jobs' case but says the mostlikely reason for a setback is that the tumor has spread into the transplantedliver. It's also possible Jobs' body is rejecting the transplant, although thatis more likely soon after a transplant, he says.
All pancreatic cancers are serious, but Jobs' type of tumorwas much less lethal than most pancreatic cancers, from which patients oftensuccumb in months. Some people who have what Jobs had survive for many years,Goldberg says.
Jobs has not said why he had a liver transplant, but neuroendocrinetumors often spread to the liver. It's possible that his original liver wasdamaged by treatment for the tumor, Goldberg says.
About PancreaticCancer
Cancer of thepancreas barely makes the top 10 most common cancers in the U.S. However,pancreatic cancer's tendency to spread silently before diagnosis makes it thefourth deadliest cancer diagnosis. Yes, the biggest problem with this type ofthe disease is a fact that tumor or cancer in the pancreas mayoften grow without any substantial symptoms at first, or even with no symptomsat all.
Therefore, pancreatic cancer often has a poor prognosis,even when diagnosed early. It typically spreads rapidly and is seldom detectedin its early stages, which is a major reason why it's a leading cause of cancerdeath. Signs and symptoms may not appear until pancreatic cancer is quiteadvanced and surgical removal isn't possible. Still, if pancreatic cancer iscaught early, the tumor may be removed by surgery and the disease may becontrolled.
Pancreatic cancer begins in the tissues of the pancreas � anorgan in the abdomen that lies horizontally behind the lower part of thestomach. The pancreas is a gland that serves two basic functions � exocrine and endocrine:
- The exocrine function makes chemicals that break down protein, and it delivers these chemicals right into the digestive tract. Most of the pancreas is devoted to this function, and tumors are more likely located here.
- A smaller part of the pancreas is devoted to the endocrine function, which makes insulin and glucagon. The pancreas puts insulin and glucagon directly into your bloodstream to help your body burn or store sugar. Cancers in this area are very rare.
Steve Jobs is diagnosed with the second, much less frequent,and not so deadly, type of the disease. His tumor reportedly is one of fivetypes that begin in hormone-producing cells. "People can co-exist withthis disease for years," says Richard Goldberg, an expert inneuroendocrine tumors at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, who hasnot treated Jobs. If the liver begins to fail, however, "people can godownhill pretty quickly. When you hit the wall, you hit the wall."
Only about 10% of people with metastatic disease � cancerthat has spread around the body � survive this type of tumor, Goldberg says.
Hopefully, Steve Jobs will be among those 10%, who will manageto survive. Wish him full recovery, as far as that is possible for the cancer survivors.
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