Legendary Anchorman Tom Brokaw, 84, On Emergency Hospitalization During Cancer Treatment– His Remarkable Journey Living For Years With Blood Cancer

“[Cancer is] a life-changing experience,” Brokaw previously told the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute during an interview.

While describing his cancer journey as a “trial,” Brokaw said he was “always confident” that he would emerge okay. What fascinated the renowned journalist about his journey was pinpointing cancer treatment.

“It’s not math – it’s a lot of sophisticated guesswork that goes on here and getting the right cocktail of drugs and so on,” Brokaw said.

Before Brokaw received his breakthrough treatment, he said he experienced some early challenges.

“I developed compression fractures in my spine and in my lower back, and I was confined to my house. I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t get out of bed. I wasn’t ready for that,” he said.

“A couple of times during the year, I got serious infections and had to be hospitalized under emergency conditions,” Brokaw continued.

Brokaw’s Breakthrough Treatment that Turned the Tide

Brokaw previously shared part of his journey with SurvivorNet, outlining details about his treatment.

Brokaw received Revlimid (generic name lenalidomide), a breakthrough oral medication that has helped treat patients living with multiple myeloma. Standard doses of lenalidomide, in combination with other therapies, kill off myeloma cells.

WATCH: Veteran journalist Tom Brokaw shares thoughts on the medical community and ways to improve the experience for patients.

Low doses of Revlimid are then used as maintenance therapy to help keep the immune system on alert and target the myeloma in case it reemerges within the body.

“The Revlimid thing for me has been “no side effects whatsoever,” Brokaw told SurvivorNet.

Brokaw Says His Family Made All the Difference

“I lived a long time, and I’m a pretty tough guy. I’ve seen a lot of stuff around the world. I’ve been in wars and other things. So, I was mentally prepared, but I couldn’t have done it without my family. I couldn’t have done it without my wife, who is my pharmacist, sheriff, and tough love. She laughed at my jokes and got me out of bed – she was there for me. And then the family rallied around as well, so that’s also critically important,” Brokaw said.

“I think that I’m doing as well as I am in part because of Revlimid. I’ve been very fortunate, of course, in not having a reaction to a lot of the very powerful drugs that I am taking “my bomb is Revlimid on a daily basis,” Brokaw continued.

The new treatment has shown great promise, giving multiple myeloma patients and their families hope.

“If you look at the most recent meta-analysis of clinical benefit from lenalidomide, you’re seeing survival gains of two and 1/2 to three years as a median by virtue of its use. And that’s not progression-free survival; that’s overall survival,” Dr. Paul Richardson, director of clinical research at the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center, previously told SurvivorNet.

“What we’re realizing is that lenalidomide (Revlimid) is really conferring tremendous clinical benefit by virtue of its continuous use, and it’s impacting on survival and progression-free survival in a remarkably substantial fashion,” Dr. Richardson added.

Brokaw’s experience with Revlimid as maintenance therapy is a testament to the importance of ongoing treatment and management of multiple myeloma. While the disease may not be curable, maintenance therapy can help patients maintain a good quality of life and keep the disease under control for longer periods of time.

Understanding Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a rare and incurable type of blood cancer. When you have this cancer, white blood cells called plasma cells (the cells that make antibodies to fight infections) in your bone marrow grow out of proportion to healthy cells. Those abnormal cells leave less room for the healthy blood cells your body needs to fight infections. They can also spread to other parts of your body and cause problems with organs like your kidneys.

Sometimes, doctors find multiple myeloma while doing a blood test to look for another condition or when trying to find out what’s causing a patient’s unexplained symptoms.

Doctors use blood and urine tests and imaging tests, such as X-rays or MRIs, to help diagnose multiple myeloma and to guide treatment options. Ultimately, a bone marrow biopsy will confirm the diagnosis.

Multiple myeloma symptoms can range from tiredness, nausea and constipation. Other symptoms may include:

• Weakness, dizziness, and shortness of breath, which are signs of a low red blood cell count, are called anemia.
• Bone pain, which could be a sign of a fracture.
• Urinating too much or too little, muscle cramps, nausea, and vomiting are symptoms of kidney failure.
• Confusion is caused by too much calcium in the blood.
• Frequent infections because you have too few white blood cells to fight them.

It’s important to know that these symptoms could be attributed to other conditions. If you experience any of these symptoms or are concerned about any changes to your body, you should address them promptly with your doctor.

Questions for Your Doctor

If you are facing a multiple myeloma diagnosis, you may be interested in the treatment Tom Brokaw has had success with. Here are some questions to help you begin the conversation with your doctor:

• What stage is my multiple myeloma?
• What are my treatment options?
• Am I a good candidate for Revlimid?
• What are the possible side effects of your recommended treatment?
• Who will be part of my healthcare team, and what does each member do?
• Can you refer me to a social worker or psychologist who can help me cope with my diagnosis?

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

---