Steve Jobs: Pancreatic Cancer and Diabetes?
January 16th, 2009 Posted by: AnaLise
Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, is possibly suffering from the recurrence of a pancreatic tumor according to doctors. Though he says he has a hormone imbalance, which is causing him to step down and take considerable time off, doctors point to the possibility of the tumor as well.
Since the pancreas provides insulin for the body, there are many complications when the pancreas encounters problems including but not limited to tumors.
Recently, since last summer, Jobs has lost a tremendous amount of weight and there have been numerous false reports of his having suffered a heart attack and even a report stating that Jobs had died. The reports were false, but the one accurate report was that Jobs had surgery for pancreatic cancer in 2004 and very little else has been stated about his condition, except when Jobs recently stated that his condition was “robbing me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy”.
Jobs learned in 2003 that he had a malignant tumor in his pancreas. The pancreas is essential because it supplies the body with insulin and digestive enzymes. The most common type of pancreatic cancer is adenocarcinoma. When someone has this type of cancer, they are expected to live for a year. Steve Jobs fortunately had an extremely rare form of cancer called an islet cell neuroendocrine tumor that can be treated surgically, without radiation or chemotherapy. The surgery removes part of the pancreas and the stomach and reconfigures what is left so that the pancreas can continue to supply insulin to the body.
Pancreatic cancer is usually very aggressive; however, it is likely that Steve Jobs has a benign tumor which can be causing the problems he is having. The situation may be making his body deficient in digestive enzymes. In addition, he is probably deficient in insulin which caused his weight loss and diabetic conditions, creating a situation that requires him to take insulin injections.
Between the weight loss and imbalances, he is probably, as stated, using a straightforward regimen of insulin, nutritional supplements and diet. He is fortunate that he has been able to overcome pancreatic cancer for 4 years. This should bring hope to others who have suffered with pancreatic cancer or diabetes. It is heartening that doctors and researchers are making progress.
