Steve Jobs to seek liver transplant

[Stinky The Clown]

Breaking on MSNBC - to help with his pancreatic cancer.

I wish him the very best.

[hlthe2b]

1. ditto... I would not wish his health issues on anyone...

I hope for the very best for him.

[JuniperLea]

2. Oh my...

Yes, the very best.

Isn't this what Patrick Swayze has as well?

[stray cat]

3. Does that mean he is admitting the cancer is no longer in remission?

[FreeState]

7. No he had pancreatic cancer not liver cancer n/t

[stray cat]

16. cancer is metastatic and often spreads particularly to the liver

[FreeState]

17. Your right - I was under the impression the type of cancer he had did not... but was mistaken

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroendocrine_tumor

In the context of GEP-NETs, the terms metastatic and malignant are often used interchangeably.
GEP-NETs are often malignant, since the primary site often eludes detection for years, sometimes decades – during which time the tumor has the opportunity to metastasize. Researchers differ widely in their estimates of malignancy rates, especially at the level of the secretory subtypes (the various "-omas").

The most common metastatic sites are the liver, the lymph nodes, and the bones. Liver metastases are so frequent and have such prominent blood supply that for many patients, they dominate the course of the cancer. For a patient with a nonsecretory PET, for example, the primary threat to life may be the sheer bulk of the tumor load in the liver.

----


That being said Jobs has made no statements about a transplant to the public its just chatter at this point... here is to hoping it has not spread etc..

[snappyturtle]

4. I feel so badly about this. Doesn't it seem as if there's a lot of pancreatic

cancer of late?

[Mike 03]

5. Very sad. He's in my thoughts.

I wonder if he still is having his pancreas removed as well? This is going to be a rough procedure. He's a strong guy and I'm hoping he can pull this one out.

Lighting a candle for Steve...

[Happyhippychick]

9. You can't remove the pancreas, nor can you radiate or operate on it. That's why it is such a deadly

cancer to have.

My grandma died from it 22 years ago. It has a survival rate of 2%.

[Horse with no Name]

10. There is a procedure now

called a Whipple that is the best option for those with pancreatic cancer. The surgery is a very complex one and can have bad outcomes as well.
I'm sorry for the loss of your grandmother.

[Happyhippychick]

12. I didn't know that. Thanks for that info and your condolences, much appreciated.

[Elwood P Dowd]

18. Chris Rea has his removed a few years ago and is still performing.

He has to take something like 30 different medications a day.

[Old and In the Way]

20. I think the side effect is extreme heavy doses of insulin.

It may be that's why Jobs needs a new liver?


Regardless, I wish him well. He is a true pioneer whose work has had a profound impact on both business and culture.

[alfredo]

21. One of our dearly departed here had a Whipple. It didn't work for him. I

believe Jobs has already had a Whipple.

[Mike 03]

11. Can't remove it? I thought there was a way, called "The Whipple Procedure"?

Wow, I didn't know that.

I thought the reason that pancreatic cancer was so deadly is that in 85% of the cases it has already metastasized by the time a person has symptoms. If it has metastasized it is non-resectable, or so I've read.

So sorry about your grandmother!!!!!!!! That's so sad.

I hope she passed without much pain. I lost an ex girlfriend to it. (I just found out the day after Christmas that she had died. She was only 40!!) Doctors gave her four months and she almost made it a year and died fairly peacefully from a pulmonary embolism.

Peace

[Horse with no Name]

6. I wish him the very best too

but liver transplants aren't usually given to pancreatic cancer victims--in fact, it excludes them. I guess we will see how much money and power can buy these days.

[NOW tense]

8. My thoughts go out to him and his family

He is one of the most influential minds of our time, changing our lives with technology.

[DJ13]

13. Report: Steve Jobs considers liver transplant

Apple Inc.'s founder Steve Jobs, who said this week he would take a medical leave of absence, is considering a liver transplant operation, Bloomberg News reports, citing what it says are people monitoring his condition.

It did not further identify the source of the news.

Jobs said earlier he would turn over day-to-day operations to chief operating officer Tim Cook, and would take a medical leave of absence through the end of June. His health issues are “more complex” than he originally thought, Jobs said in a statement.

Jobs underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer in 2004.

“Why don’t you guys leave me alone – Why is this important?” Bloomberg quotes Jobs as saying in a telephone interview Friday.

Cupertino-based Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) investors have raised concern about Jobs health since appearing noticeably thinner at events starting last year.

“The curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction…” Jobs said in announcing his medical leave.

While Cook will be in charge during Jobs’ absence, he has said he will remain involved in major strategic decisions

Washington Business Journal

http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2009/01/12/daily81.html
Report: Steve Jobs considers liver transplant - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

[alfredo]

14. Damn. Good luck Steve.

[Mike 03]

15. For what it's worth, this is an excerpt from the major textbook on PC (so far, at

least).

"Liver transplantation for metastatic islet-cell tumors remains controversial. Proponents argue that for multifocal, unresectable liver disease, in the absence of distant metastases outside the liver, transplantation provides relief of symptoms in both functioning and non-functioning neoplasms... Enthusiasm, however, should be tempered by the high operative mortality of 19%. Patients with carcinoid tumors faired much better than the rest of the group (40% actuarial survival at five years compared with 0%), including those with metastatic islet cell carcinoma."

Pancreatic Cancer; Von Hoff, Evans and Hruban, 2005, Jones and Bartlett

The Good News is Jobs has made it about five years out. His prognosis is not good, but he'll get the best care available.

[ulysses]

19. all best to him.

One day we'll beat all cancers.