SEATTLE � Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin�s lymphoma.

In a memo sent to employees, the CEO of Allen�s investment firm says the 56-year-old Allen received the diagnosis this month and has begun chemotherapy. The CEO, Jody Patton, noted that doctors say Allen has a relatively common form of the disease � and that Allen survived Hodgkin�s disease in the 1980s.
Patton wrote that Allen �is optimistic he can beat this, too.�
Allen founded Microsoft with Bill Gates in 1975. Since leaving the company he has become a prolific investor in real estate, technology companies and sports teams. He owns football�s Seattle Seahawks and basketball�s Portland Trail Blazers.