| 14 weeks 2 days 22 hours ago Neurologist describes possible scenarios for Kennedy tumor
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(NECN: Boston, Mass.) - Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy has a malignant brain tumor. Preliminary biopsy results showed a malignant glioma in the left parietal-lobe. It was detected after the 76-year-old Kennedy was airlifted to Boston on Saturday after having a seizure at his Cape Cod home.
Dr. Michael Biber, a neurologist at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston, joins NECN's RD Sahl for a discussion.
The usual course of treatment includes combinations of radiation
and chemotherapy, but Kennedy's treatment will be decided after
more tests.
Malignant gliomas are a type of brain cancer diagnosed in about
9,000 Americans a year - and the most common type among adults.
It's a starting diagnosis: How well patients fare depends on what
specific tumor type is determined by further testing.
Links to resources on gliomas:
Wikipedia entry on gliomas
Mayo Clinic information on gliomas
Mass General Hospital Cancer Center information on adult cancers
National Institutes of Health on brain cancers
Average survival can range from less than a year for very
advanced and aggressive types - such as glioblastomas
- or to about
five years for different types that are slower growing.
Surgery can be an option for some types, especially to reduce
symptoms as a tumor enlarges and puts pressure on the rest of the
brain. Many gliomas infiltrate normal brain tissue instead of
forming a solid mass, making it hard to remove much of the tumor.
Kennedy, the senior senator from Massachusetts and the Senate's
second-longest serving member, was re-elected in 2006 and is not up
for election again until 2012.
Were he to resign or die in office, state law requires a special
election for the seat no sooner than 145 days and no later than 160
days after the vacancy occurs.
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