Sen. Edward Kennedy faces chemotherapy and radiation treatment after undergoing a “successful” three-hour surgery Monday aimed at shrinking the size of a malignant brain tumor.
The surgery, designed to render the tumor in Kennedy’s brain more treatable, marked “just the first step in Senator Kennedy’s treatment plan,” his doctor said.
“After a brief recuperation, he will begin a targeted radiation and chemotherapy treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital,” said Dr. Allan Freidman, who performed the surgery at Duke University.
Kennedy told his wife after the surgery, “I feel like a million bucks,” according to a family spokesman, and added, “I think I’ll do that again tomorrow.”
The Massachusetts senator was diagnosed with a tumor called a malignant glioma on the left side of his brain May 20, days after suffering a seizure at his Cape Cod home.
Survival rates are bleak for malignant gliomas. Depending on the type and aggressiveness of the glioma, average survival rates range from one to four years, doctors said.
His medical team did not reveal the details of Kennedy’s treatment schedule, but experts said radiation treatment generally lasts five days a week for a month, and that the 76-year-old senator will likely receive the chemotherapy drug Temodar during and after
radiation.
Temodar is taken by mouth in capsule form at bedtime on an empty stomach, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
Side effects are common and wide ranging, and can include fatigue, confusion, anxiety, numbness, nausea, vomiting and hair loss.
The side effects of radiation therapy to the head area can include redness and irritation in the mouth, trouble swallowing, changes in taste, or nausea.
Kennedy might also be given post-surgery drugs over the next several days to prevent seizures and swelling, experts said.
The last surviving son of the Kennedy political dynasty was elected to the Senate in 1962 and is considered one of the most influential politicians on Capitol Hill. He is the second-longest-serving senator currently in office.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
