The Liberal Lion, the longest serving Senator second to Robert Byrd, the great Ted Kennedy was given the terrible news that he has a malignant brain tumor, the likely cause of his seizure this past weekend. His family is all around him at the hospital in Boston and he is good spirits, but malignant tumors like this are not a good sign.
From the AP:
Doctors for the Massachusetts Democrat say tests conducted after Kennedy suffered a seizure this weekend show a tumor in his left parietal lobe. Preliminary results from a biopsy of the brain identified the cause of the seizure as a malignant glioma.
His treatment will be decided after more tests but the usual course includes combinations of radiation and chemotherapy.[...]
The doctors said Kennedy will remain in the hospital "for the next couple of days according to routine protocol."
"He remains in good spirits and full of energy," they said.
Kennedy's wife and children have been with him each day but have made no public statements.
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.
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.
We should know in the next few days what type of tumor the Senator has and of course like all cancers, nothing is set in stone when it comes to life expectancy and treatment procedures. What is certain is that Sen. Kennedy will be getting the best possible care and will continue to be a prominent political figure as he has been for nearly half a century.
Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with the Kennedy family.
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