Kennedy's brain surgery "successful"

Sen. Edward Kennedy
Now if chemotherapy and radiation can kill what's left he should be in pretty good shape.

One report I read said Kennedy was awake throughout the operation. Yuck!

Sen. Edward Kennedy successfully underwent surgery Monday in Durham, N.C., for a malignant brain tumor, his surgeon said.

Dr. Allan Friedman, who performed the surgery at Duke University Medical Center, pronounced the operation a success and said it "accomplished our goals." Up next: chemotherapy and radiation, aimed at shrinking whatever is left of the tumor.

"The main goal is to remove as much of the tumor as possible to give any other therapy that we do a better chance of working," said Dr. John Sampson, associate deputy director of Duke's brain-tumor center.

Kennedy, 76, was given a diagnosis two weeks ago for a malignant glioma in the upper left brain after suffering a seizure at a family residence on Cape Cod, Mass. His surgery followed initial treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Kennedy told his wife, Victoria, immediately after the surgery, "I feel like a million bucks," a spokesman recounted.

Too bad he'll lose all that terrific white hair, but its better than the alternative.

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