Paul Allen who co-founded the computer giant Microsoft with Bill Gates in the 1970s has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, 25 years after surviving Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
The news was announced in a memo to the staff of Allen’s company Vulcan, by CEO Jody Allen, who is also Paul Allen’s sister. A copy of the memo was also sent to the media.
The memo, which was posted on CNET on Monday states that the 56-year old Allen received the diagnosis earlier this month and has started a course of chemotherapy.
Allen’s doctors say he has a common form of lymphoma known as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
Jody Allen’s memo said that this was “tough news” for her brother and his family, “Paul is feeling OK and remains upbeat”, she writes.
Allen is continuing to work and has no plans to change his role at Vulcan, the company he set up in 1986 to manage his business and charitable work, which includes supporting “nonprofit organizations focused on making positive and measurable change in the Pacific Northwest”. A few months ago the Allen family foundation awarded nearly 2 million US dollars in grants to a group of such projects, including one to boost child reading proficiency on Montana tribal reservations.
Bill Gates said he and his wife, Melinda, were keeping Allen and his family in their thoughts and prayers:
“Paul is among my closest friends, and I know to him be a strong and resilient individual,” said Gates.
According to the Lymphoma Foundation, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is the most common of the non-Hodgkin lymphomas, accounting for up to 30 per cent of newly diagnosed cases.
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is an aggressive, or fast growing cancer that can arise in the lymph nodes or outside the lymphatic system such as in the gut, testes, thyroid, skin, breast, bone or brain.
Often the first sign is a rapid or painful swelling in the neck, armpit or groin. Other symptoms include weight loss, night sweats and unexplained fevers.
Sources: CNET, Lymphoma Research Foundation, Vulcan.
Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD