Apple CEO Jobs is already working by e-mail

SAN FRANCISCO -- Steve Jobs has vowed to return as Apple CEO this month. At least on paper and in e-mail, he already has.

Despite questions about his health, Jobs — who has battled pancreatic cancer and has been on medical leave since January — has been in contact with Apple employees the past few weeks via e-mail, three employees told USA TODAY. They did not speak on the record out of fear of repercussions.

"Customers are voting, and the iPhone is winning," Jobs said in a statement about boffo iPhone sales. Apple has sold more than 1 million units of its latest iPhone model since Friday, its most successful debut.

The Wall Street Journal on Saturday reported that Jobs received a liver transplant in Tennessee two months ago. The report, citing unnamed sources, said he is likely to work part time at first.

A patient with the type of tumor Jobs was diagnosed with in 2004 may undergo a liver transplant because the original cancer has spread to the liver, says Juan Del Rio Martin, surgical director of liver transplantation at New York's Mount Sinai Medical Center.

That shows the cancer has advanced. On the other hand, it also shows that Jobs is well enough to undergo surgery and years of treatment with anti-rejection drugs, says Del Rio Martin, who has no personal knowledge of the case. The surgery also suggests that the cancer has not spread beyond the liver, he says.

About 75% of patients survive five years, says Andrew Muir, assistant professor at Duke University School of Medicine, who has no personal knowledge of the case. Patients often can get back to work after six weeks to six months.

"I've had some patients working on their laptops in the hospital against our wishes," Muir says.

Apple spokesman Steve Dowling declined to comment on the report of a transplant. He says Jobs, 54, "looks forward" to returning to work at the end of the month. USA TODAY has not been able to independently verify the report.