Tom Brokaw Diagnosed With Cancer; Prognosis Encouraging

[TexasBushwhacker]

Source: NBC News

"In a personal note, NBC News Special Correspondent Tom Brokaw revealed he has been diagnosed with cancer and said he and his physicians are very encouraged with the progress he is making.

Brokaw, who has worked at NBC News since 1966, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer affecting blood cells in the bone marrow, in August at the Mayo Clinic. His doctors are optimistic about the outcome of the treatment he is receiving, and Brokaw said he remains “the luckiest guy I know.”

Throughout the treatment, Brokaw has continued to work on NBC News projects, including a two-hour documentary on the assassination of JFK; appearances on “TODAY,” “Nightly News with Brian Williams,” “Meet the Press” and MSNBC. He is also contributing to NBC Sports coverage of the Winter Olympics in Sochi."

Read more: http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tom-brokaw-diagnosed-cancer-prognosis-encouraging-n27871

[Keefer]

1. My Mom died from

Multiple Myeloma.

[TexasBushwhacker]

2. Yeah, I just read up on it some more

It looks like it's one of those cancers that's treated rather than cured. 5 year survival is only 35%. But he can afford the best medical care that money can buy.

[Keefer]

7. My Mother had Blue Cross

and they covered a $7,000 per month drug for a $10 co-pay.

[tofuandbeer]

8. Doctors think that's what got my mother as well.

[FlaGranny]

10. My mother also.

She was diagnosed at age 85 and lived until age 94. A few times she was in a lot of pain, but for the most part she did extremely well until the last few months. She made dinner, went out with her friends, and watched C-SPAN and cussed at Republicans. Her bone marrow stopped producing red blood cells and transfusions couldn't keep up and she lived about a week or two after the transfusions were stopped. I've heard of other cases where the person only lived for a few months after diagnosis.

Cures are extremely rare in this form of cancer. I wish Mr. Brokaw well.

[JI7]

3. i have been critical of him recently but i hope him the best with his health

[hrmjustin]

4. I wish him the best.

[kestrel91316]

5. Martha Mitchell died of multiple myeloma. It is a VERY painful cancer due to the growth of

tumors inside the bone marrow cavities of many bones.

I feel sorry for him.

[TexasBushwhacker]

6. Yes, my mother's breast cancer spread to her bones and bone marrow

It was a blessing when it spread to her brain. Thank goodness for morphine and methadone.

[AngryOldDem]

9. A dear friend of mine had that.

She managed to get a bone marrow transplant from her brother, and she rallied off and on for about a year. But then it took her fast.

Best wishes to Brokaw and his family. Keeping a positive outlook, as my friend did, is more than half the battle here.

[Moral Compass]

11. Don't Want to Rain On Anyone's Parade

There is little "encouraging" about a diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma. It is a) incurable b) usually diagnosed in stage 4 and ) is 100% fatal.

My sister just passed away due to MM and it was quick and nasty. She had intractable back pain and went in for an MRI. The MRI they were planning involved injection of a dye that is very hard on the kidneys. So, before doing this they always test for kidney function.

Her kidneys were in shutdown. This is one of the major symptoms and causes of death from MM. She was rushed to the hospital where she was diagnosed with MM. They got her kidneys working again and intended to harvest stem cells from her aorta, grow new marrow, destroy her immune system, and then implant the new marrow. She died before that could happen. She was killed by one of the chemo drugs they tried on her that, ironically, completely shut her kidneys down. But, really, the MM killed her. The drug just made it quicker.

MM can be in you for years before becoming obvious and will be relatively asymptomatic until your vertebrae start cracking due to internal pressure and your kidneys begin to fail. Horrible back pain is the usual symptom that leads to a diagnosis.

MM is an autoimmune disorder due to your bone marrow producing massive amounts of a very large T cell that clogs the kidneys and causes such intense internal pressure in your spinal column that the vertebrae begin to fracture.

This is the source of the back pain that leads to the diagnosis. The only "cure" is a bone marrow transplant from marrow grown from your own stem cells. This "cure" is usually temporary as the new marrow ultimately begins to produce too many of that type of T cell again.

Since the diagnosis almost always occurs in state 4 survival can be brief. Some can and do last for years with MM with the stem cell marrow treatment.

The basic problem is that no one knows what causes MM. Until that root cause is discovered there is little that can be done to truly cure the disease.

My sister lasted only about 6 months. I hope Mr. Brokaw lasts longer and endures less pain.