Information kept secret by Apple, Fortune

Unbeknownst to the public, Steve Jobs traveled to Basel, Switzerland in early 2009 to seek cancer treatment, newly disclosed information reveals. The secret was passed on to a Fortune reporter by Jerry York, a former member of Apple's board of directors who died in March of last year. Jobs is specifically said to have made the trip to undergo an unusual hormone-delivered radiological treatment to cope with neuroendocrine cancer.

The treatment -- unavailable in the US -- originated at the University Hospital of Basel, where Jobs is said to have spent some time. The visit is believed to have happened before before a April 2009 liver transplant, given the timing of Jobs' return to Apple following a medical leave, as well as the physical demands of recovering from such a surgery. If so, the implication appears to be that the Basel approach failed.

Jobs has proven reluctant to try advanced cancer treatments in the past. After the CEO was first diagnosed with cancer in 2004, he is said to have initially resisted having the tumor surgically removed, preferring a special diet instead. He is now on what will be his third medical leave, for which there is no explanation or definite timeframe.

by MacNN Staff