Steve Jobs' Experience with Cancer

Steve Jobs experience with cancer says a lot about how the choices we make can impact our lives in a big way. Looking back, Jobs is hailed as a genius for leading Apple to the front of the tech industry. However, with his own personal health, that were decisions that might or might not have changed the outcome. This summary looks into Jobs' experience with cancer and considers the decisions he made along the way.

In 2004, Jobs was diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer known as a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (pNET) (Chung, 2016). pNETs tend to grow slowly and have a better outcome if detected early and treated quickly. Initially, however, Jobs chose to explore alternative treatments: he tried special diet and acupuncture, for example, instead of aggressive surgical treatment. He believed that he could control the growth of the tumor.

But after about nine months of pursuing alternative treatments, Jobs decided to undergo surgery in July 2004. Following the surgery, Jobs told the public that he was cured. However, in the subsequent years, his health appeared to deteriorate. In 2009, Jobs took a six-month medical leave from Apple and underwent a liver transplant. People feared the cancer might had metastasized to his liver. Jobs returned to work but took another medical leave in January 2011. He eventually resigned as CEO of Apple in August 2011 and passed away two months later, in October 2011.

There has been debate about whether Jobs' initial decision to delay surgery in favor of alternative treatments affected the progression of his disease. Some medical experts believe that had he opted for surgery immediately after diagnosis, it might have increased his chances of a better outcome. Early surgical intervention could have potentially prevented the spread of the tumor (Sledge, 2011).

However, even with immediate surgery, there is no guarantee that the outcome would have been different for Jobs. Ultimately, Jobs' experience with cancer goes to show that life is unpredictable. Everyone has to decide for himself the right course of action based on his values and beliefs. Jobs did exactly this.

References

Chung, C. (2016). Management of neuroendocrine tumors.American Journal of Health-System

Pharmacy,73(21), 1729-1744.

SLEDGE, G. W. (2011). MUSINGS OF A CANCER DOCTOR: On Steve Jobs.Oncology

Times,33(23), 54-55.