Steve Jobs may be facing surgery to remove pancreas - report

[AppleInsider]

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs could be facing new surgery to remove the rest of his pancreas, according to Bloomberg, which cites doctors familiar with patients in similar positions.

In 2004, the Apple co-founder was diagnosed with a very rare form of pancreatic cancer called an islet cell neuroendocrine tumor, which represents about 1% of the total cases of pancreatic cancer diagnosed each year.

The disease is curable by surgical removal if properly diagnosed from the onset. As part of the operation, which is similar to a Whipple operation, doctors removed parts of Jobs' pancreas, bile duct and small intestine, according to Bloomberg.

One potential side effect of the procedure 'is that the organ has to be removed to prevent pancreatic leak, and the patient has to be kept alive with insulin to regulate blood sugar,' Robert Thomas, head of surgery at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, told the financial publication.

"You might have to take the rest of the pancreas out," added Thomas, who's performed his share of Whipple procedures. "You’re on significant doses of insulin, and it’s not easy to manage. The person has the risk of severe diabetes."

If true, it would be Jobs' third surgical procedure since being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer four and a half years ago. In addition to the initial surgery to remove the malignant tumor, it was revealed last summer that he underwent a second surgical procedure earlier in the year to address an issue that was contributing to his weight loss.

In an email to Apple employees Wednesday, Jobs said he learned over the past week that his health-related issues were more complex than his doctors originally thought. The revelation came just nine days after he issued a statement saying that doctors had diagnosed him with a hormone imbalance that had been “robbing” him of proteins, but that the remedy for the nutritional problem was "relatively simple and straightforward."

Joe Grundfest, a professor of capital markets, corporate governance and securities litigation at Stanford University, attributed the lack of transparency regarding Jobs' health issues to his "unusual and complicated" condition.

"When conditions are complicated, physicians have difficulty making clear decisions," he told Bloomberg.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[Virgil-TB2]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Apple chief executive Steve Jobs could be facing new surgery to remove the rest of his pancreas, according to Bloomberg, which cites doctors familiar with patients in similar positions. ...

Yes and he "may" be abducted by aliens, and he "may" have his lungs removed, and he "may" live to be a hundred.

If you read the actual article it's pretty clear that this doctor is just being asked to speculate and he does. He has no facts, and no idea of exactly what Steve Jobs' health problems are. He's just spouting the same stuff you can look up on Wikipaedia on survival rates and probabilities.

[meelash]

So, given that the teams of doctors that get to examine the man in person and run tests have trouble figuring out what's wrong with him, the smart thing, according to these "analysts," is to get opinions on his condition from doctors who have never even seen him or his medical files.

Seriously, is this news?

[SpamSandwich]

True enough. This is just more rampant speculation. Whether he does or doesn't have surgery, and whether he lives or dies, he's got more important things to deal with than Apple right now.

[MJ Web]

Well, my uncles has a friend who knows a doctor who's married to this woman who's cousin has an aunt who was married to a reporter who likes to put rampant speculation like this in print.

[SpamSandwich]

Originally Posted by meelash

So, given that the teams of doctors that get to examine the man in person and run tests have trouble figuring out what's wrong with him, the smart thing, according to these "analysts," is to get opinions on his condition from doctors who have never even seen him or his medical files.

Seriously, is this news?

In the Bizarro World of Apple reporting, I suppose this is the best they can do for news.

[maxboxing2009]

just wanted to said, im wishing steve jobs a fast recovery

[amac4me]

These speculative stories by those who don't have first hand knowledge of Jobs' condition are just that ... SPECULATION and hence, are not worthy of publication in my view.

[Cubert]

See my post on the lawsuit thread. I gave my medical (and legal) position on his condition.

Yes, it's Dr. Cubert.

[paxman]

Originally Posted by Cubert

See my post on the lawsuit thread. I gave my medical (and legal) position on his condition.

Yes, it's Dr. Cubert.

And here is a link that gives a fuller picture both of the nature and the complexities of SJ's condition. No wonder he wants a few months off -
http://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz...reatectomy.jsp

[Cubert]

Ummm, Meelash, regarding your signature at the bottom of your post - Somalia has been a pit since their government fell in 1992 - way before the disastrous military operation that Clinton ordered or any U.S. involvement

Afghanistan has been a hole since the Soviet war there in the 1970's and 80's.

So, your argument has no supporting logic. It seems to me that suppression of basic human rights by radical religious fanatics (Somalia, Afghanistan, etc.) and/or ineffective government due to corruption (including the court system) are to blame (Liberia, Rowanda, etc.)

[nagromme]

Originally Posted by meelash

So, given that the teams of doctors that get to examine the man in person and run tests have trouble figuring out what's wrong with him, the smart thing, according to these "analysts," is to get opinions on his condition from doctors who have never even seen him or his medical files.

Be fair, now. It's not JUST opinions from doctors who have never seen his medical files.

It's also opinions from finance professors who have never seen his medical files

"When conditions are complicated, physicians have difficulty making clear decisions."
-- Joe Grundfest, professor of capital markets, corporate governance and securities litigation at Stanford University

(And to be even more fair, I--who know just as little about medicine as Joe Grundfest--think his statement is quite reasonable!)

[monstrosity]

Originally Posted by MJ Web

Well, my uncles has a friend who knows a doctor who's married to this woman who's cousin has an aunt who was married to a reporter who likes to put rampant speculation like this in print.

Does he work for Wired by any chance?

[drk_one]

If this is true, he's in for a real fight.

Being an insulin-dependent Diabetic myself, I can't imagine not having a pancreas. It's hard enough to control your blood sugars with a broken pancreas, but having none?

Take care, Steve...

[bspears]

Originally Posted by paxman

And here is a link that gives a fuller picture both of the nature and the complexities of SJ's condition. No wonder he wants a few months off -
http://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz...reatectomy.jsp

Total pancreatectomy is a HUGE operation. It is NOT one that you bounce right back from. It will have major effects on his life and lifestyle. I wish him the best. That being said I have heard nothing that makes be believe that this is what is needed or what he is getting.

[Booga]

Ummm, Meelash, regarding your signature at the bottom of your post - Somalia has been a pit since their government fell in 1992 - way before the disastrous military operation that Clinton ordered or any U.S. involvement

No arguments about Somalia in the 90's, except for the strange assertion about "the disastrous military operation that Clinton ordered". The Black Hawk Down incident was part of UNOSOM II, which was a continuation of UNITAF, which was a continuation of UNOSOM I under the elder President Bush. Blaming Clinton for the mess seems strange-- as you say, the place was unmanageable from the start. Hopefully we learned a lesson about overstaying our welcome in unmanageable situations in that area of the world.

[roehlstation]

I thought the point of Mr. Jobs taking medical leave was to get out of the limelight to keep the distractions down from reports, just like this. This will be the last post I make on ANY message board regarding Steve Jobs health and condition, I hope that his health improves and that he returns, but I will no longer read these baseless stories or comment on them, and I'm hoping that others that feel similar will do the same thing.

[t2star]

Pancreatectomy is a big deal. Anyone who has been to medical school in this country has probably come across The 3 Rules of Surgery at some point in their training:

1. eat when you can
2. sleep when you can
3. don't f@^& with the pancreas

That being said, I am sure that Jobs' surgeons are highly experienced and wish him the best in this difficult time for him and his family.

[codymr]

Originally Posted by MJ Web

Well, my uncles has a friend who knows a doctor who's married to this woman who's cousin has an aunt who was married to a reporter who likes to put rampant speculation like this in print.

I'm in a coffee shop right now and your comment made me laugh out loud. The chick beside me probably thinks I'm some kind of loon. thx.

[Solar]

SJ walks out on stage at WWDC.

We're introducing 3 revolutionary products. a moisture proof iPod with thought based controls, a mobile Phone, and an artificial Gland Organ.

A moisture proof iPod with thought based controls, a mobile Phone, and an artificial Gland Organ.

An iPod, a Phone, an artificial Gland Organ.
An iPod, a Phone, an artificial Gland Organ.
You guys getting this.. ?

Introducing the iPancreas.

[MJ Web]

Originally Posted by codymr

I'm in a coffee shop right now and your comment made me laugh out loud. The chick beside me probably thinks I'm some kind of loon. thx.

I'm so glad!

[ppp1182]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider;1363650Joe Grundfest, a professor of capital markets, corporate governance and securities litigation at Stanford University, attributed the lack of transparency regarding Jobs' health issues to his "unusual and complicated" condition.

"When conditions are complicated, physicians have difficulty making clear decisions," he told Bloomberg.[c

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ][/c]

My sympathy goes out to Mr Jobs and his family. As a side note, this professor of markets needs to stick to markets, and let the doctors do the medicine. They aren't disclosing anything because it is against the law for them to do so. To me, it sounds like multiple endocrine neoplasia, type 1 (MEN1)

[Kolchak]

If the speculation is true, it could actually be an opportunity for Apple. Imagine Jobs pushing Apple to design an incredibly intelligent and user-friendly insulin pump to keep himself healthy after the operation. No more finger-pricking, no more trying to interpret blood tests, no more hypodermic needles. Just wear a gadget about the size of a watch around your wrist and it takes care of everything 24/7 without user intervention. True, it would be a brand new area for Apple with significant risks, but they've never let that stop them before.

[roylee]

In the incredibly speculative field of predicting Apple's next big thing...the lack of new products at MacWorld had reporters/"analysts" focus on something else...Steve.

Poor guy, hope he recovers soon and wish him all the best.

[mdriftmeyer]

Originally Posted by Solar

SJ walks out on stage at WWDC.

We're introducing 3 revolutionary products. a moisture proof iPod with thought based controls, a mobile Phone, and an artificial Gland Organ.

A moisture proof iPod with thought based controls, a mobile Phone, and an artificial Gland Organ.

An iPod, a Phone, an artificial Gland Organ.
An iPod, a Phone, an artificial Gland Organ.
You guys getting this.. ?

Introducing the iPancreas.

And one more thing: F*** *** TO ALL YOU BASTARDS COUNTING MY DAYS NUMBERED.

[t2star]

Originally Posted by ppp1182

My sympathy goes out to Mr Jobs and his family. As a side note, this professor of markets needs to stick to markets, and let the doctors do the medicine. They aren't disclosing anything because it is against the law for them to do so. To me, it sounds like multiple endocrine neoplasia, type 1 (MEN1)

MEN 1? Maybe so. Does he have a pituitary adenoma or parathyroid hyperplasia? But consider this:

"A small subset of islet cell tumors occur in association with the MEN-1 syndrome, but the majority are sporadic lesions about which limited information regarding underlying genetic and molecular alterations is known."


House MG, Schulick, RD. Endocrine tumors of the pancreas. Curr Opin Oncology. Volume 18(1), January 2006, p 23–29.

[Steve Wozjobs]

Doctor's Interview and point of view:

Everybody is talking about a neoplastic pancreatic condition. The most frequent pancreatic malignancy is ductal carcinoma. Let's suppose he does not suffer from that condition and that, as he says, he has a tumoral endocrine pancreatic disease which is treatable. In that case we look for diseases like MEN (multiple endocrine neoplasia) Type I (MEN I). With symptoms provoking chronic diarrhea, weight loss with tumors of the parathyroid glands, pancreatic islet cells and hypofisis. Sometimes most of the pancreas must be removed in order to control the endocrine symptoms. The disease is longlasting and death can happen in cases of complications. Is he suffering from Insulinoma ?, or a gastrin pruducing tumor of the pancreas ? Who knows, is one of those his condition ? Are they hiding a more frequent and severe disease like ductal carcinoma because of Apple stock price. The insiders are the only people aware of the truth. By the way a Whipple procedure is a type of surgery in which the pancreas and the duodenum are radically removed. It is mostly used to treat pancreatic cancer with the intention to cure.
---------

Let's all hope for the best.

For more information on this story please follow some insider's views here:


Steve Wozjobs
http://www.applegameshop.com

[macFanDave]

Originally Posted by MJ Web

Well, my uncles has a friend who knows a doctor who's married to this woman who's cousin has an aunt who was married to a reporter who likes to put rampant speculation like this in print.

Thank you, Simone.

[macFanDave]

I just hope that he's going to real medical doctors trained in science!

It would be a shame to see him waste his time and his health with some shaman who will try to cure him with a poultice made of ground-up chick peas and antelope urine.

[anantksundaram]

Originally Posted by t2star

MEN 1? Maybe so. Does he have a pituitary adenoma or parathyroid hyperplasia? But consider this:

"A small subset of islet cell tumors occur in association with the MEN-1 syndrome, but the majority are sporadic lesions about which limited information regarding underlying genetic and molecular alterations is known."


House MG, Schulick, RD. Endocrine tumors of the pancreas. Curr Opin Oncology. Volume 18(1), January 2006, p 23–29.

Wow. What's up, docs? Care to talk to us uninformed in English?

[talksense101]

This thread is silly speculation.

[charlituna]

Originally Posted by meelash

So, given that the teams of doctors that get to examine the man in person and run tests have trouble figuring out what's wrong with him, the smart thing, according to these "analysts," is to get opinions on his condition from doctors who have never even seen him or his medical files.

Seriously, is this news?

it's a common trick in the tabs to have an expert give an opinion only to see (for legal reasons) the phrase 'who has not treated X'

such as the doctors that claim, though they have no access to her medical records and have never treated her personally, that Angelina Jolie would likely die if she has any more children because the other two pregnancies were too difficult on her body.

different patient, same spin.

personally I wish there was a way for Apple and Steve to sue every publication that prints jack about him other than what has been officially released. position it as slander/libel. the drop in stock value can be used as damages. after all the stockholders are claiming that his health and inability to do his job is why the stock has dropped in the last year (although he's been under this condition for what 4 years and Apple has released how much bloody great stuff under his guidance)

[nvidia2008]

Steve Jobs needs... SSP (Solid State Pancreas)

iPancreas LOL good one

Get well Steve.

Originally Posted by Solar

SJ walks out on stage at WWDC.

We're introducing 3 revolutionary products. a moisture proof iPod with thought based controls, a mobile Phone, and an artificial Gland Organ.

A moisture proof iPod with thought based controls, a mobile Phone, and an artificial Gland Organ.

An iPod, a Phone, an artificial Gland Organ.
An iPod, a Phone, an artificial Gland Organ.
You guys getting this.. ?

Introducing the iPancreas.

[Cubert]

Originally Posted by Booga

No arguments about Somalia in the 90's, except for the strange assertion about "the disastrous military operation that Clinton ordered". The Black Hawk Down incident was part of UNOSOM II, which was a continuation of UNITAF, which was a continuation of UNOSOM I under the elder President Bush. Blaming Clinton for the mess seems strange-- as you say, the place was unmanageable from the start. Hopefully we learned a lesson about overstaying our welcome in unmanageable situations in that area of the world.

First, I am and was a big supporter of Clinton - he will go down in history as a great U.S. president - but he is the one who authorized the Black Hawk Down incident. The first Bush may have started our involvement, but Clinton had to give his OK for that operation.

[macfan83]

Originally Posted by anantksundaram

Wow. What's up, docs? Care to talk to us uninformed in English?

In all likelihood, probably not MEN1. If it WAS a cancer recurrence, these are some possibilties:

http://www.pancan.org/Patient/Pancreatic/isletCell.html

pretty good site, also has stuff on side effects

[mdcat]

Originally Posted by macFanDave

I just hope that he's going to real medical doctors trained in science!

It would be a shame to see him waste his time and his health with some shaman who will try to cure him with a poultice made of ground-up chick peas and antelope urine.

He's in the tech industry, which necessarily uses logic and science to find solutions. Unlike other celebrities like Steve McQueen, Coretta Scott King, etc. who believed some woo-woo friends and thought alternative medicine's placebos could cure serious life-threatening diseases

[cygnusrk727]

Originally Posted by talksense101

This thread is silly speculation.

People said that about the Gizmodo article.

[DoctorBenway]

What they're not saying is a quote from right after his first operation by doctors in the field. Only 1 percent got the treatable form of pancreatic cancer - but life-extension case history was not available after 5 years.

And that surgery? That was 5 years ago.

The probabilities in his procedure have run out, but we get 1981 dead-russian leader style internal politics to bolster a share-price. Talk about selling your soul. Don't be surprised when his "unexpected" death is announced.

[charlituna]

Originally Posted by cygnusrk727

People said that about the Gizmodo article.

the difference is that Gizmodo never stated a source. it was always "unnamed source close to X" which could mean 'out their butts'.

in this article, because they knew the real doctor would keep his mouth shut under doctor/patient they went to some doctor in another country who has probably never met Steve Jobs much less treated him and got a statement about the worst case scenario, failed to admit that that was the question asked and put the baby disclaimer that is required under the statement.

see in Journalism (a career I almost had) the rule is that you put the most important stuff first and then trickle down to the filler. that way when the audience stops reading after the 2nd or 3rd paragraph, they don't miss anything important.

so folks are reading this article from a supposedly 'good' source and they read those first two paragraphs and get the big info. how many are going to keep reading that the guy has no clue what he's really talking about compared to the ones that run to sell off their Apple stock because the company tanks cause Steve was the only one that did or thought anything there.

Originally Posted by DoctorBenway

What they're not saying is a quote from right after his first operation by doctors in the field. Only 1 percent got the treatable form of pancreatic cancer - but life-extension case history was not available after 5 years.

And that surgery? That was 5 years ago.

The probabilities in his procedure have run out,

probabilities are just that. they are 'based on the information we have'. they are not solid rules. They might say "only 1 in 5 million patients that have received this treatment have lived beyond 5 years" based on the fact that that's what they have seen. but hey you only need 1 and in the last five years they might be due for another '1' and that could be Steve Jobs

Originally Posted by roehlstation

I thought the point of Mr. Jobs taking medical leave was to get out of the limelight to keep the distractions down from reports, just like this.

at this point the man is dammed no matter what. if he goes he's dying, if he stays he's dying.

he is taking this active duty leave because all the stress of not having taken a leave, plus all this BS is not helping him recover and the doctors probably told him this

but hey, lets not forget that all Apple laptops and imac, plus the new LED display have a built in isight camera.

steve can go off to the Bahamas with his new hot off the press MacBookPro 17 inch and be a virtual presence at the morning meetings where he gets updates about whatever is happening for WWDC etc while sitting on the beach. He can join in the Board Meetings no one the wiser that he's getting a nice full body massage at the same time.

and here's the thing too. computer tech is not something you dream up and do in a weekend. it takes months, if not years, to plan, design and execute a new idea. so what his happening right now is stuff Steve was involved in. some of which we won't probably see for another year or two. the guy could die today and the company still has his great ideas to work with for a while. and chances are that the ideas that come afterwards would just be a continuation with WWSD at every turn. at least for a good 5 years.
heck he may have notes to guide them even

Originally Posted by Virgil-TB2

He has no facts, and no idea of exactly what Steve Jobs' health problems are. He's just spouting the same stuff you can look up on Wikipaedia on survival rates and probabilities.

not exactly. this guy was involved in the early days of developing the procedure that Jobs had. so he does have a clue about the procedure. he just doesn't have a clue about Steve

hormones are a tricky thing and it is possible that some of this trouble would have happened even without the cancer. the guy is in his 50s after all.

Originally Posted by SpamSandwich

True enough. This is just more rampant speculation. Whether he does or doesn't have surgery, and whether he lives or dies, he's got more important things to deal with than Apple right now.

not according to some of the stock holders

Originally Posted by amac4me

These speculative stories by those who don't have first hand knowledge of Jobs' condition are just that ... SPECULATION and hence, are not worthy of publication in my view.

which is kind of the point. Bloomburg was not every responsible with this article and frankly I think they should be invested and sanctioned for it. I would love, and I sure Apple and Jobs would agree, for the SEC if possible to put it out there that anyone, from any source, that publishes any news about Steve Jobs Health that is not a reprinted from an official Apple release, will be invested and sanctioned for possible tampering with the companies stock price. not unlike what happened with the kid that hacked the paper and posted that Jobs was dead and the price dropped like 20 dollars in a day.

Originally Posted by nagromme

"When conditions are complicated, physicians have difficulty making clear decisions."
-- Joe Grundfest, professor of capital markets, corporate governance and securities litigation at Stanford University

(And to be even more fair, I--who know just as little about medicine as Joe Grundfest--think his statement is quite reasonable!)

yep. and the only one that should be made. because it addresses why all the 'spin' (as naysayers have deemed it). Medicine is complicated and there are not certain addresses.

heck, Steve could survive all of this and come out clean only to get hit by a bus walking across the street from work to pick up a grande frap or to take a walk in the park during lunch.

Originally Posted by Kolchak

If the speculation is true, it could actually be an opportunity for Apple. Imagine Jobs pushing Apple to design an incredibly intelligent and user-friendly insulin pump

there are already insulin pumps and glucose pumps in the market. one needle in the side or the thigh and all you have to do is monitor the supply levels and the read outs. most of them will even beep to let you know when you need to check something.

Originally Posted by macFanDave

I just hope that he's going to real medical doctors trained in science!

i doubt he'd let some witch doctor perform surgery on him.

[cygnusrk727]

Originally Posted by charlituna

the difference is that Gizmodo never stated a source. it was always "unnamed source close to X" which could mean 'out their butts'.

Gismodo had a source which did not want to be named. The accuracy of the story which people dogged (including myself) has been proven more accurate than three accounts from Apple. An anonymous source nicknamed (deep throat) helped bring down a presidency in the US. Whether we like it or not, it is not against the law to use anonymous sources. Freedom of the press.

see in Journalism (a career I almost had) the rule is that you put the most important stuff first and then trickle down to the filler. that way when the audience stops reading after the 2nd or 3rd paragraph, they don't miss anything important.

so folks are reading this article from a supposedly 'good' source and they read those first two paragraphs and get the big info. how many are going to keep reading that the guy has no clue what he's really talking about compared to the ones that run to sell off their Apple stock because the company tanks cause Steve was the only one that did or thought anything there. ]

I think what you are saying here is that the guy has no clue about what he is talking about and this causes people to run and sell their stock and tank the company. It amazes me how everyone here keeps tying these stories to stocks. Not everyone owns stock or cares about stock. Some people here just care about the truth which ultimately comes out one way or the other. So far, Apple has told three lies about Job's health status. I would have had more respect for them if they would have continued stating that Job's health is a private matter and they are not going to comment on it.