Senator Ted Kennedy has a malignant brain tumor.

It's located on the left side of his brain and is operable.  This is certainly sad news.

Molly

 That's too bad.

This is sad. My Daddy has one and his in inoperable and it still causes him to have seizures occasionally. My Daddy will never have his liscence again because the tumor can not be operated on because it sits too close behind his left eye and the surgery is too risky.

I feel for this man and his family.

I'm sorry to hear about your Daddy, DJ.

Krissy~~~

How sad!  People like to point out the bad stuff about him but he has also done a lot of good while in the Senate.  And his family has suffered unbelieveable tragedy.  Here's a link:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080520/ts_nm/kennedy_tumor_dc_2

gdsbngd~

I too am very sorry to hear about your daddy!  Our DIL just recently underwent surgery to remove a malignant tumor from the left side of her brain that was pressing on her optic nerve.  She is having a tedious recovery with good and bad days. 

Molly

I too, am sorry, DJ about your Daddy.

Well, if it is operable, that is something in his favor. I hope it goes well. Looks like he would have been having blinding headaches.

While I don't agree with his politics, I certainly don't wish him harm.  I hope he has a successful surgery. 

“The usual course of treatment includes combinations of various forms of radiation and chemotherapy,” Dr. Lee Schwamm, the vice chairman of neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Dr. Larry Ronan, a primary care physician at the hospital, said in a statement issued Tuesday afternoon.

The National Cancer Institute says that malignant glioma is the most common form of brain cancer, accounting for about 9,000 cases diagnosed each year in the United States. The prognosis depends on the severity of the tumor, although the institute’s website says it is generally poor."

What heartbreaking news; he's such an iconic figure in progressive politics and this is truly a sobering development. The Kennedy's were my first first introduction into national politics back in the early 60's, and Teddy was always the fighter who stood up and championed the cause of the common man. 

I’ll bet he’s more pissed off about being away from the Senate and missing a vote than he is about having a brain tumor!

 i'm glad its operable.....has nothing to do with his lifestyle...

Saying it is operable puts a rosy spin on his condition to say the least. I was just watching 2 local brain surgeons discuss this and they both said he probably will not be able to return to the Senate and that regardless of treatments he has 1 to 5 yrs  to live.

This is very sad news. 

IMHO I agree with you LB.  We are not getting anyone to go into the Senate because people are so personally mean to you....  Agree or disagree but do it civally .........

Glioblastoma malformate is a very deadly diagnosis.  If it is a stage 4, which most are by the time they are large enough to cause a seizure, the chance of being alive is 18% one year from diagnosis.

The cognition area of the brain is on the left side and people don't do very well when they have a tumor on the left side.  It's a much better deal to have it on the right.

We take many, many of these tumors out of people at work and the prognosis is NEVER EVER good.  They can place gliodile wafers directly into the brain--chemo wafers, but they cause a lot of cytogenic edema to the surrounding tissue. 

It is a sad, sad way to die and not pleasant for the family either!!!  I hope he has a speedy recovery from surgery--he needs to focus his remaining life on his family and not being a senator anymore.

i guess i hadn't read where they were doing surgery to remove this. i thought i had read that they were recommending chemo and radiation therapy.