| 14 weeks 3 days 6 hours ago Senator Ted Kennedy diagnosed with brain tumor
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(NECN: Greg Wayland, Boston, Mass.) - Democratic Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy has a malignant brain tumor. Kennedy's doctors said that preliminary biopsy results showed a malignant glioma in the left parietal-lobe.
It was detected after 76-year-old Kennedy was airlifted to Boston on Saturday after having a seizure at his Cape Cod home.
The usual course of treatment includes combinations of radiation
and chemotherapy, but Kennedy's treatment will be decided after
more tests.
Statement from Dr. Lee Schwamm, Vice Chairman, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Dr. Larry Ronan, Primary Care Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital:
"Over the course of the last several days, we've done a series of tests on Senator Kennedy to determine the cause of his seizure. He has had no further seizures, remains in good overall condition, and is up and walking around the hospital. Some of the tests we had performed were inconclusive, particularly in light of the fact that the Senator had severe narrowing of the left carotid artery and underwent surgery just 6 months ago. However, preliminary results from a biopsy of the brain identified the cause of the seizure as a malignant glioma in the left parietal lobe. The usual course of treatment includes combinations of various forms of radiation and chemotherapy. Decisions regarding the best course of treatment for Senator Kennedy will be determined after further testing and analysis.
Senator Kennedy will remain at Massachusetts General Hospital for the next couple of days according to routine protocol. He remains in good spirits and full of energy."
Malignant gliomas are a type of brain cancer diagnosed in about
9,000 Americans a year - and the most common type among adults.
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
It's a starting diagnosis: How well patients fare depends on what
specific tumor type is determined by further testing.
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.
*Material from the Associated Press used in this report*
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