After emerging from three and a half hours of risky surgery yesterday to remove portions of a tumor in his brain, Senator Edward M. Kennedy told his wife he felt “like a million bucks.” The senator will likely stay about a week at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, where the surgery was performed.
Kennedy, 76, was diagnosed with a malignant form of glioma several weeks ago. This aggressive form of cancer is often fatal and affects about 9,000 Americans each year. The exact tumor type has not been made public nor have the details of future treatment the senator will undergo.
The surgery was performed with the intention of removing as much of the tumor as possible in order to minimize the area that will be treated with chemotherapy and targeted radiation at Massachusetts General Hospital. Kennedy will remain at the Duke University hospital for post-surgery observation and will probably receive drugs prescribed to minimize swelling of the brain and seizures, which are frequently associated with brain surgery. Other precautions are being taken against bleeding, clotting, and the risk of stroke following surgery of this nature.
Kennedy’s surgeon, Dr. Allan Friedman, performed the surgery to cut down, or “debulk,” the tumor and says the senator is not expected to suffer any long-term neurological effects of the surgery. Friedman is Duke University’s top neurosurgeon and has a worldwide reputation as an expert surgeon for brain tumors.
Kennedy was awake during much of the surgery as his responses to questions and other communications during surgery were necessary to minimize damage to healthy tissue. The tumor is located in an area of the brain that governs speech and movement.
Reports from the hospital say Kennedy is up and walking today and is said to be in very good spirits.