NBC news correspondent Tom Brokaw has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer affecting blood cells in the bone marrow, it was announced Tuesday. 
 
 Brokaw, 74, received the diagnosis from his doctors at the Mayo Clinic last August, but said that they are pleased with how he is responding to treatment. 
 
 "I remain the luckiest guy I know," said the former anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News in a statement. "With the exceptional support of my family, medical team and friends, I am very optimistic about the future and look forward to continuing my life, my work and adventures still to come." 
 
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 Brokaw passed the Nightly News baton to Brian Williams in 2004, at which time Brokaw became a special correspondent for NBC News. He played a significant role in NBC's coverage of the 2008 presidential election and moderated the second debate between Barack Obama and John McCain. He has continued to work despite his recent health battles. Last November, he anchored a two-hour NBC documentary on the assassination of JFK. And he has made recent appearances on Today, Nightly News, Meet the Press and MSNBC. He also has been active during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, contributing to NBC Sports coverage. 
 
 "I am very grateful for the interest in my condition but I also hope everyone understands I wish to keep this a private matter," said Brokaw. 
 
 In a memo to staffers Tuesday, NBCUniversal News Group chairman Pat Fili-Krushel and NBC News president Deborah Turness said: "We all love Tom dearly and so we are pleased to let you know that he and his physicians are very encouraged with the progress he is making. We are also fortunate he will be able to continue the outstanding work that he does for NBC News." ||||| (CNN) -- Former NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw is being treated for cancer, but doctors are very encouraged by the progress he is making, NBC said Tuesday. 
 
 Brokaw, 74, was "diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer affecting blood cells in the bone marrow, in August at the Mayo Clinic," the network said. 
 
 "His doctors are optimistic about the outcome of the treatment he is receiving, and Brokaw said he remains 'the luckiest guy I know,'" it said. 
 
 Brokaw sat in the anchor chair of the "NBC Nightly News" from 1982 until he stepped aside in 2004 to serve as a special correspondent for the network. He joined NBC as a reporter in 1966. 
 
 "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," the announcement said. "He is also contributing to NBC Sports coverage of the Winter Olympics in Sochi." 
 
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 The NBC release included a personal quote from Brokaw. 
 
 "With the exceptional support of my family, medical team and friends, I am very optimistic about the future and look forward to continuing my life, my work and adventures still to come," he said. "I remain the luckiest guy I know." 
 
 Brokaw said in a 2012 interview with CNN that the death of ABC news anchor Peter Jennings from lung cancer in 2005 "really affirmed my decision" to retire. 
 
 "The line that you don't know anybody near death who says 'Gee, I wish I had spent more time at the office,'" he said. "That's kind of how I felt. I wanted to be free to do things that I care about, and not worry about whether or not it was a rating period or I have to rush back to the studio to be on air." 
 
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 / Updated 
 
 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. 
 
 Here is his full personal statement released on Tuesday: 
 
 “With the exceptional support of my family, medical team and friends, I am very optimistic about the future and look forward to continuing my life, my work and adventures still to come.” 
 
 “I remain the luckiest guy I know.” 
 
 “I am very grateful for the interest in my condition but I also hope everyone understands I wish to keep this a private matter.” ||||| Maria Menounos is stepping down from her anchor role at E! News as she faces treatment for a brain tumor. 
 
 Menounos, 39, told People magazine she was diagnosed with a tumor in April and recently underwent a seven-hour surgery to remove the golf-ball sized growth. Menounos’ diagnosis came as her mother, Litsa Menounos, is battling brain cancer. 
 
 “I am so grateful for the past three years at E!, I had such an amazing time co-hosting with Jason Kennedy and working everyday with the wonderful roster of talent on the show including producers, staff and crew,” said Menounos. “It was such a special, good-hearted group and one I’ll always consider family. A special thank you to [NBCUniversal Cable’s] Frances Berwick and [E! president] Adam Stotsky for all the support they have shown me through the years especially during these tough times. I will truly miss everyone and looking forward to this next chapter in my life.” 
 
 Menounos has been with the E! News team since 2014. She worked as a correspondent for “Access Hollywood” and “Today” before landing the co-anchor slot on the syndicated newsmagazine “Extra.” 
 
 Menounos has also been active in the technology arena, promoting innovations and new companies through her personal newsletter and her daily “Conversations with Maria Menounos” series on SiriusXM. It’s unclear if she will continue her hosting duties on SiriusXM. She has also chronicled her mother’s fight with stage four glioblastoma on her personal platforms. 
 
 Menounos told People that she is still recovering from the surgery that successfully removed almost all of the tumor. 
 
 “My face is still numb,” Menounos told People. “This is something that takes at least a month of healing, but I’m getting stronger and stronger every day and I’ll be back to normal very soon.”
– Tom Brokaw revealed today that he has cancer—but doctors are optimistic about his recovery, reports CNN. The 74-year-old "was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer affecting blood cells in the bone marrow," back in August at the Mayo Clinic, says NBC. Brokaw has continued to work on network projects since then while undergoing treatment. “With the exceptional support of my family, medical team, and friends, I am very optimistic about the future and look forward to continuing my life, my work, and adventures still to come," he said in a statement. “I remain the luckiest guy I know.” He also asked for privacy. A memo from the network's bosses to staffers echoed the positive assessment, notes the Hollywood Reporter. "We all love Tom dearly and so we are pleased to let you know that he and his physicians are very encouraged with the progress he is making. We are also fortunate he will be able to continue the outstanding work that he does for NBC News." Click to read the American Cancer Society's primer on multiple myeloma.