Steve Jobs’ Pancreatic Cancer is a Bombshell - Why Isn’t Anyone Paying Attention?

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Steve Jobs’ Pancreatic Cancer is a Bombshell - Why Isn’t Anyone Paying Attention?

Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 | Tech |

I’m amazed that people are blasé about the fact that Apple founder and CEO Steve Jobs had pancreatic cancer. This is terrible news for Jobs and Apple, and most people don’t seem to realize how dire his situation is. Here’s the casual mention in Ad Age.

So when Mr. Jobs catches a cold, Apple sneezes. And that’s why the rumors and innuendo swirling about his health are particularly serious for Apple. It started with blogosphere buzz in June after Mr. Jobs — who had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2004 — appeared extremely thin, bordering on frail, while introducing the latest version of the iPhone.

You probably have friends and relatives who had cancer, got treatment, and lived for years or even decades. It’s an increasingly common and happy outcome thanks to medical advances. The difference is that those people didn’t have pancreatic cancer.

I know about pancreatic cancer because my friend James at work had it. That’s when I learned that it is one of the especially bad cancers that people don’t survive for long. According to Wikipedia 95% of pancreatic cancer victims die within five years of the initial diagnosis. Jobs was diagnosed with in 2004. It’s now 2008. That’s four years. It’s unlikely he’ll be alive in 2010.

Last week you may have heard that Randy Pausch, best known as the professor who gave the “Last Lecture,” died. When he gave that lecture he knew he had pancreatic cancer and his days were numbered. He died less than two years after his initial diagnosis.

Steve Jobs is living on borrowed time. He’s been fortunate to push his time out more than most. I wish him all the best. He created some of the best technology of his generation, and we won’t have him much longer.

6 Comments to Steve Jobs’ Pancreatic Cancer is a Bombshell - Why Isn’t Anyone Paying Attention?

Laughingdog
July 30, 2008

I still wonder some times how different things might have been if Apple hadn’t kept such a tight lock on what software could be used on their machines.

Annette
August 1, 2008

I was completely unaware of Jobs’ cancer until I read this. As my dad has a type of pancreatic cancer that is not “the big killer,” I knew that Jobs’ may not be, either. Jobs’ cancer, according to Apple news releases, is an islet cell neuroendocrine tumor. The really hard-to-cure one, which is more common and which your coworker probably had, is Adenocarcimoma. My dad’s is also a neuroendocrine tumor. His has spread into his liver, so Jobs’s cancer may well have metastacized somewhere, too. Jobs’ frailty is definitely a bad sign.

Also, I think you meant to say “It’s an increasingly common and HAPPY outcome thanks to medical advances.” in your third paragraph??

Eric
August 1, 2008

I don’t think saying “unhappy” was a mistake. With difficult cancers, like Jobs’, medical advances prolong life when the outlook is bleak. Sometimes that’s good. But many times it simply prolongs the person’s suffering, instead of curing/suppressing the issue.

Zach Katkin
August 1, 2008

Pancreatic is particularly dreadful and quick moving. A close relative of mine was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We are organizing a major 24hour blog-o-thon to raise awareness of cancer (particularly pancreatic cancer) and raise money for research. We are trying to enlist the help of any bloggers that would like to participate. If you’d like to help out or find out more please let me know. Our site is: http://www.atilus.com/cancer