Ted Kennedy has brain tumor

[RICHARD]

Gamma knife!

Thanks, the facility I worked at only did the craniotomies-getting into the skull to remove/fix a problem.

[Medusa]

A friend of mine was diagnosed w/a brain tumor 3 years ago and, looking back, the drs. told him that he probably had had it for the last 17 years. They based this on certain physical ailments that he had but overlooked. He had the surgery and they were able to remove 97% of it and, if it grows again, they'll do the surgery yet again, if possible. I feel for Ted Kennedy and his family and pray for everyone who is experiencing physical illness.

[Karen]

One interesting anecdote from my time at Mass General for brain surgery. My surgeon was a wonderfully patient man, and answered all my questions seriously, but not without some humor.

So one of the last of my list of questions before surgery was,
"I know you are going to cut a 1-inch square hole in my skull to get to the tumor. Once that heals, will it be good as new? Or will it be like a rowboat - you know, once patched, it's never quite the same? Could I, for example, go scuba diving safely even with the added pressure, or would it be apt to "give"?"

Dr. Ojemann very seriously said, "No, your skull is not like a rowboat. Once it heals completely, it should handle pressure as well as it ever did. But you should never scuba dive alone anyway. Because you will no longer have the balance of a normal person, you will be relying on visual clues more than before. And under water, without those "clues," you will not know which way is "up," so it is not safe for you to go without someone else who will just naturally "know" that."

Pretty interesting, huh? I have never scuba dived, but it is good to know, just in case!

[Catty1]

http://cfcn.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNe...walking_080603

Kennedy walking hospital halls after brain surgery

Related CTV Story Ted Kennedy: 'I feel like a million bucks'

The Associated Press

Tue. June. 3 2008 1:06 PM ET

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy enjoyed "a restful night's sleep" and was walking hospital hallways on Tuesday, one day after undergoing an aggressive brain surgery aimed at slicing away at a cancerous tumor to give chemotherapy and radiation treatments a chance to work.

Kennedy was "recuperating well from yesterday's procedure," his office said in a statement issued to The Associated Press. "He is experiencing no complications and has been walking the hallways, spending time with family and actively keeping up with the news of the day.

"He looks forward to returning home to Cape Cod soon, and is thankful for all the prayers and well wishes."

The 76-year-old senator is expected to stay at Duke University Medical Center in Durham for about a week before returning home to Massachusetts for further treatment. No further updates on Kennedy's condition were expected until Kennedy leaves the hospital, according to the statement.

Kennedy was diagnosed with a malignant glioma in the left parietal lobe of his brain after suffering a seizure on May 17 at his home in Hyannis Port, Mass. He underwent 3 1/2 hours of surgery on Monday at Duke. Doctors provided few details about the surgery, including how much of the tumor was removed.

But Kennedy's doctor said the procedure "accomplished our goals." When Kennedy emerged, a family spokeswoman said he told his wife, Vicki, that he felt "like a million bucks."

In the following days, Kennedy will probably be given drugs to prevent brain swelling and seizures, which are possible complications of the surgery. The senator also will be closely watched for bleeding and blood clots. Strokes are also a risk, but are uncommon.

"After a brief recuperation, he will begin targeted radiation at Massachusetts General Hospital and chemotherapy treatment," his doctor, Dr. Allan Friedman, said in a statement following Monday's procedure. "I hope that everyone will join us in praying for Sen. Kennedy to have an uneventful and robust recovery."

The sole surviving son of America's most glamorous and tragic political family was diagnosed last month with a malignant glioma, an often lethal type of brain tumor discovered in about 9,000 Americans a year.

Details about Kennedy's exact type of tumor have not been disclosed, but some cancer specialists have said it likely is a glioblastoma multiforme -- an especially deadly and tough-to-remove type -- because other kinds are more common in younger people.

Cutting a tumor down to size -- or "debulking" it -- is extremely delicate because of the risk of harming healthy brain tissue that governs movement and speech. But Friedman, who is the top neurosurgeon at Duke and an internationally known tumor surgeon, said Kennedy should not experience any permanent neurological effects.

The outlook for patients with malignant gliomas is poor, and depends on what type of glioma a patient has. Median survival for glioblastomas is 12 to 15 months, but the range is wide, said Dr. Mark Gilbert, a brain tumor expert at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Doctors have not revealed Kennedy's treatment plan, but typical radiation treatment is five days a week for a month, using 3D imaging techniques that narrowly deliver the beams to the tumor, affecting as little surrounding tissue as possible.

Kennedy also likely will receive the chemotherapy drug Temodar during and after radiation. It can cause typical chemo side effects -- nausea, vomiting and fatigue -- but treatments are much better for these than even a few years ago, doctors stressed.

He also may be treated with Avastin, a newer targeted drug to deprive the tumor of its blood supply, though this is still experimental as initial treatment, rather than after patients have relapsed.

[shepgirl]

I always thought highly of the Kennedy's and their zest for life. They did have their downside but everybody does. I believe in moving forward and not looking back. I think they all had a special way in which they lived life to the fullest. All of them were very strong in mind and body and Ted Kennedy has longevity on his side. Many people don't even get to his age and don't have brain tumors. If it's meant to be he will live many more yrs, if not he will live the remainder of his years to the fullest.
Fifteen yrs ago I was given 6 mos to a year to live, well, here I am and it proves God has the last say, not doctors.

[moosmom]

God has the last say, not doctors.

Right on Shepgirl!!! My daughter is living proof.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

They say he was awake for most of the operation. The cancer would never have had a chance to kill me, I'd have been so scared, I would have died of fright.