Bruce Willis 'stepping away' from acting as he battles aphasia

LOS ANGELES - A film icon is stepping away from the screen.

Bruce Willis says he is dealing with a condition called aphasia.

Northwestern University Cognitive Neurologist Dr. Joshua Cahan says aphasia isn’t a diagnosis, it’s a clinical symptom that comes when a patient has brain damage. 

Most common cause is stroke, but it can occur if the patient has a head injury, brain tumor or Alzheimer’s.

We still don’t know what the cause is behind the actor’s aphasia.

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"If the cause is treatable, like maybe a tumor that’s you know surgically removed, then yeah, that's one treatment," said Dr. Cahan.

While Willis might not be the leading man on screen anymore, Dr. Cahan says he can still have a productive full life.

"We just try to exercise those parts of the brain and formulate strategies to work around those difficulties so that people have an easier time in their daily life and struggle less," said Dr. Cahan.