June 22, 2009, 11:42 AM — Medical experts have confirmed that Apple CEO Steve Jobs' prospects are good in the wake of his liver transplant two months ago.
The need for the transplant may indicate that the pancreatic cancer for which Jobs was treated in 2004, had spread, however.
Stanford University transplant expert Dr. Waldo Concepcion told San Jose Mercury News that a liver transplant may be part of the treatment for slow-growing pancreatic cancer.
Concepcion explained: "These tumors can be treated quite well with liver transplants and are able to be managed and have a good outcome. In transplants there are no guarantees but if it works well, people can lead normal lives. We're proud of him and we're all rooting for him, and wish him the best."
It is important to note that Jobs was eligible for a transplant as this underscores the fact that his type of disease is less aggressive than the more common and deadly form of pancreatic cancer, said Concepcion. Patients with the other form of pancreatic cancer are typically not eligible for transplants.
It is common for pancreatic cancer to spread to the liver because blood flows from one organ to the other. These tumors can spread further, to organs such as to the abdomen, but they can be treated with surgery, according to Concepcion.
Liver transplants are less likely to be rejected by the body, according to transplant surgeon Dr. Oscar Salvatierra of Stanford University's School of Medicine.
According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, the five year survival rate for liver transplant recipients is 75 per cent. However, the long term survival of liver transplant patients with pancreatic cancer is less definitive, because it is a relatively new approach, with less data. Several studies report deaths due to recurrence.
