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Kennedy Prognosis Not Good, Experts Say

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By PAM BELLUCK and CARL HULSE

The New York Times

Published: May 21, 2008

BOSTON - Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the longtime Massachusetts Democrat and head of the Kennedy family, has a malignant brain tumor, his doctors said Tuesday.

Doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital said preliminary results from a biopsy revealed that the senator has a malignant tumor in the upper left part of his brain.

The doctors were investigating the cause of a seizure that Kennedy, 76, suffered Saturday on Cape Cod.

The prognosis is poor, experts said.

Lee H. Schwamm, the hospital's vice chairman of neurology, and Larry Ronan, Kennedy's primary-care physician, said that the usual course of treatment includes combinations of various forms of radiation and chemotherapy.

Decisions regarding the best course of treatment for Kennedy would be determined after further testing and analysis, they said.

News of the brain tumor surprised people in Washington, Massachusetts and beyond, generating reaction from around the world, where Kennedy's family legacy and 46 years in the Senate have made him a well-known figure.

Aside from an unsuccessful run for president in 1980, Kennedy has focused his energy on issues such as health care, education and civil rights.

Despite his liberal ideology and occasional loud clashes on the Senate floor, Kennedy is held in high esteem by Republicans for his determination, understanding of issues and willingness to work in a bipartisan fashion.

"Senator Kennedy enjoys great respect and admiration on this side of the aisle," said Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader. "He is indeed one of the most important figures to ever serve in this body in our history."

President Bush said: "Ted Kennedy is a man of tremendous courage, remarkable strength, and powerful spirit. Our thoughts are with Senator Kennedy and his family during this difficult period. We join our fellow Americans in praying for his full recovery."

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., hailed by Kennedy as the standard-bearer of the legacies of his fallen brothers, John and Robert Kennedy, said:

"Senator Kennedy has been a fighter for his entire life, and I have no doubt that he will fight as hard as he can to get through this. He has been there for the American people during some of our country's most trying moments, and now that he's facing his own, I ask all Americans to keep him in our thoughts and prayers."

Kennedy 'In Overall Good Condition'

Doctors and people close to Kennedy said that he would remain in the hospital for the next couple of days.

The doctors said he was "in overall good condition" and "remains in good spirits and full of energy." He has not had another seizure since he was hospitalized, they said.

"Right now, he's his normal self, except for the news that he's dealing with," said a close friend who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "I bet he'll be back at the Cape sailing this weekend. I expect he'll go back to work" after the Memorial Day recess.

Senate Democrats and Republicans learned of Kennedy's condition as they were gathered for their weekly closed-door party luncheons, and members of both parties were visibly shaken by the news.

As he opened debate on an Iraq spending bill, Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., the only incumbent senator who has served longer than Kennedy, was distraught. "Ted, Ted, my dear friend, I love you and miss you," Byrd said in halting remarks on the floor.

Kennedy's tumor, called a malignant glioma, is the most common form of brain cancer, accounting for about 9,000 cases diagnosed each year in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute.

They are more common in older people, especially those between the ages of 75 and 84. The American Cancer Society said that survival rates drop with age.

Patrick Y. Wen, clinical director of the Center for Neuro-Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, said that the average prognosis for the most-aggressive type of tumor is 14 to 15 months, and the prognosis for slower-growing tumors is two to four years. "This is a sad situation," Wen said. He said that such tumors can sometimes affect sensation, speech or vision, and that tumors in older people tend to be more difficult to treat. "These are, unfortunately, aggressive tumors."

Tumors Difficult To Remove

Alain Charest, an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Tufts Medical Center, said if the tumor could be removed surgically, doctors would do so, although gliomas are difficult to remove because cells from the tumor tend to travel to other parts of the brain. Radiation and chemotherapy usually follow surgery.

Carl B. Heilman, chairman of the department of neurosurgery at Tufts Medical Center, said that most people return to work after a biopsy, and that many patients respond well to radiation therapy and oral chemotherapy at first.

Kennedy was elected in 1962 to fill the senate seat held by his brother John, who became president in 1961.

If Kennedy were to become so ill that he is forced to vacate his Senate seat, Massachusetts would conduct a special election 145 to 160 days after the vacancy occurred.

Information from The Washington Post was used in this report.

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