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Billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has been diagnosed with lymphoma, a type of cancer of the immune system, and is being treated with chemotherapy.
The news comes just months after arch-rival Apple's founder and chief executive Steve Jobs returned to work after fighting pancreatic cancer.
Allen battled another form of the disease and recovered completely from Hodgkin's lymphoma 25 years ago.
In a memo to employees of his investment firm Vulcan, his sister Jody, who is also chief executive of the business, said he was diagnosed earlier this month and is “optimistic he can beat this too”.
Allen stepped aside from Microsoft at the time of his first illness in 1983 but remains a director and one of the largest investors in the computer software giant. He funded the business with his high school friend Bill Gates in 1975.
