CBS' Ed Bradley Dies of Leukemia
Bradley, 65, Was 60 Minutes Journalist for 26 Years
WebMD News Archive
Nov. 9, 2006 -- CBS newsman Ed Bradley died of leukemia in New York this
morning. He was 65.
Bradley worked for CBS for 35 years and was a reporter on the CBS
newsmagazine, 60 Minutes, for 26 of those years.
Details of Bradley's illness -- including the type of leukemia he had and when he was diagnosed --
were not immediately made public.
Leukemia is a cancer that begins in the blood cells. Its exact
cause is not known.
There are four common types of the disease:
- Acute myeloid leukemia: About 11,930 new cases expected this year in the
U.S.; affects adults and children.
- Chronic myeloid leukemia: About 4,600 new cases estimated for this year;
mainly affects adults.
- Acute lymphocytic leukemia: About 3,900 new cases expected this year;
mainly in young children, but can affect adults.
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia: About 9,700 cases expected this year; usually
seen in people over 55.
Common leukemia symptoms include:
Fevers or night sweats
- Frequent infections
- Feeling weak or tired
- Easy bleeding and bruising
- Pain in bones or joints
- Swelling or discomfort in abdomen (from enlarged spleen)
Swollen lymph nodes, especially in the neck or armpit
- Weight loss
Such symptoms aren't sure signs of leukemia. Only a doctor can diagnose the
Leukemia symptoms may be acute, meaning they start suddenly and worsen
quickly. Or they can be chronic, starting mildly and worsening gradually.
Treatment depends on the type and extent of the disease and can include
chemotherapy, biological therapy, radiation therapy, and bone marrow
Doctors often can't say why one person gets cancer and another doesn't. But
several risk factors have been tied to leukemia, including:
- Exposure to very high levels of radiation
- Working with certain chemicals, such as benzene and formaldehyde
- Down syndrome and certain other genetic diseases
- Human T-cell leukemia virus (HTLV-1), which causes a rare type of chronic
- Myelodysplastic syndrome, a blood disease that makes acute myeloid leukemia
Smoking and tobacco use
Most people who get leukemia do not have any risk factors. Leukemia does not
usually run in families. But in very rare cases this can happen with chronic