Steve Jobs, chief executive officer (CEO) and co-founder of Apple Inc. who has been on medical leave since January to treat an undisclosed medical condition, received a liver transplant in US sate of Tennessee about two months ago, The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday.

Jobs has been recovering well and is expected to return to work on schedule later this month, the newspaper said.

When he does return, Jobs may be encouraged by his physicians to initially work part-time for a month or two and that may lead Apple's chief operating officer Tim Cook to take "a more encompassing role," an unnamed person familiar with the situation was quoted as saying.

Jobs, 54 years old, disclosed in August 2004 that he had been treated for a rare form of pancreatic cancer, saying the tumor was diagnosed in time and he had undergone surgery to remove it.

In the following years, the thin, almost gaunt appearance of Jobs constantly inspired speculations about his health.

In early January this year, Jobs said his apparent weight loss is caused by a treatable hormone imbalance. But about a week later, he announced that the issue was more complex than he had thought and he would be taking a medical leave until the end of June.

"The type of slow-growing pancreatic tumor Mr. Jobs had will commonly metastasize in another organ during a patient's lifetime, and that the organ is usually the liver," The Wall Street Journal reported, citing William Hawkins, a doctor specializing in pancreatic and gastrointestinal surgery at Washington University in St. Louis.

According to the newspaper, at least some Apple board members were aware of the liver transplant. They have been briefed weekly on the CEO's condition by his physician as part of an agreement with Jobs in place before he went on leave.

During his leave, Jobs has remained involved in key aspects of Apple and reviewed products and product plans from home, the report said.

(Xinhua News Agency June 21, 2009)