Healthcare IT firm Cerner's CEO diagnosed with cancer

(Reuters) - Healthcare IT company Cerner Corp's Chief Executive, Neal Patterson, said he had been diagnosed with a curable soft tissue cancer and that he planned to start treatment immediately.

Patterson said he would stay involved in the business, but travel less and attend fewer meetings, while receiving treatment.

There was no evidence of the cancer elsewhere in his body, Patterson said in a note to shareholders on Monday. (http://bit.ly/1RJ8msD).

The company's leadership was well-equipped to run operations while he received treatment, Patterson said.

Patterson, who is also the company's chairman, co-founded Cerner with two colleagues in 1979.

The Kansas City, Missouri-based company's shares were down about 1.27 percent at $56.65 on Monday.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein disclosed in September that he had a "highly curable" form of cancer and would be able to work mostly as normal during treatment.

JPMorgan Chase & Co CEO Jamie Dimon revealed in July 2014 that he had a curable form of throat cancer but said in December that year that tests had showed there was "no evidence of cancer" in his body.

(Reporting by Natalie Grover and Rosmi Shaji in Bengaluru; Editing by Ted Kerr and Savio D'Souza)