lily
06-02-2008, 04:18 PM
The decision for surgery seems awful fast. (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24927252/)
Kennedy undergoing surgery for brain tumor
updated 7 minutes ago
DURHAM, N.C. - Sen. Edward M. Kennedy was to undergo surgery Monday at Duke
University Medical Center for his cancerous brain tumor and then faces
chemotherapy and radiation treatment, his office said.
The 76-year-old senator was diagnosed last month with a malignant glioma, a
lethal type of brain tumor. A statement from the Massachusetts Democrat’s
office said the surgery would take place on Monday morning in Durham, N.C.,
by one of the nation’s top neurosurgeons, Dr. Allan Friedman, followed by
chemotherapy and radiation.
Experts said surgeons will likely try to remove as much of the tumor as
possible while balancing the risk of harming healthy brain tissue that
affects movement and speech.
The surgery was scheduled to begin around 9 a.m. and expected to last about
six hours, said Anthony Coley, a Kennedy spokesman. The senator will remain
at the North Carolina facility for one week to recuperate and then will
begin further treatments at Massachusetts General Hospital and start
chemotherapy.
“I am deeply grateful to the people of Massachusetts and to my friends,
colleagues and so many others across the country and around the world who
have expressed their support and good wishes as I tackle this new and
unexpected health challenge,” Kennedy said in the statement. “I am humbled
by the outpouring and am strengthened by your prayers and kindness.”
Kennedy said that over the past few days he and his wife, Vicki, “along with
my outstanding team of doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital, have
consulted with experts from around the country and have decided that the
best course of action for my brain tumor is targeted surgery followed by
chemotherapy and radiation.”
Top surgeons
Kennedy said he selected a team of neuro-oncologists from Boston’s
Massachusetts General Hospital and Duke University Medical Center.
The hospital at Duke is on the north side of the campus of the elite private
college in Durham, about 30 minutes west of the state capital in Raleigh.
The brain tumor research center at Duke is conducting several clinical
trials in malignant glioma.
Aside from several television trucks parked outside, there was little sign
that a notable patient was inside.
Friedman is “one of the thought leaders” and a giant in the field of
neuro-oncology, said Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American
Cancer Society, speaking from Chicago, where more than 30,000 cancer
specialists are attending an American Society of Clinical Oncology
conference.
Friedman is chief of the division of neurosurgery in the surgical department
at Duke and also co-director of the neuro-oncology department there. His
clinical interests are brain tumors, skull-based tumors, peripheral nerve
surgery, pituitary tumors and cerebrovascular disaster, according to his
resume on the medical center’s Web site.
After his treatment, Kennedy said, “I look forward to returning to the
United States Senate and to doing everything I can to help elect Barack
Obama as our next president.” Kennedy has endorsed Obama, the front-runner
for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Kennedy was hospitalized May 17 at Massachusetts General Hospital after
undergoing a seizure at his home on Cape Cod. Doctors later announced that
he had a malignant glioma in his left parietal lobe, a brain region that
governs sensation but also plays some role in movement and language. A
malignant glioma is one of the worst kinds of brain cancer, and malignant
gliomas are diagnosed in about 9,000 Americans a year.
Details about Kennedy’s particular type of tumor, which plays a key role in
survival odds, have not been disclosed. Some cancer specialists say it
appears likely to be a glioblastoma multiforme — a serious and
tough-to-remove type — because other kinds of brain tumors are more common
in younger people.
Chemotherapy drug
Kennedy likely will receive the chemotherapy drug Temodar during and after
radiation, said Brawley. The pivotal study showing the drug’s value for
brain tumors was presented three years ago at the clinical oncology
conference. Kennedy also may be treated with Avastin, a newer targeted drug
to deprive the tumor of its blood supply, though this is still experimental
at this stage of treatment.
When operating, “the surgeon usually does as much as possible within the
bounds of safety. We do not want to do neurological damage in an effort to
remove as much of the tumor as possible,” said Dr. Mark Gilbert, a brain
tumor expert at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in
Houston.
Typical radiation treatment is five days a week for a month, using 3-D
imaging techniques that narrowly deliver the beams to the tumor, affecting
as little surrounding tissue as possible.
Kennedy has a history of seeking top medical care available for his family.
He pulled daughter Kara out of Johns Hopkins and brought her to a Boston
hospital when he was not satisfied with the initial course of treatment she
was getting for lung cancer five years ago.
“He didn’t accept that ... and saved her life,” said Philip W. Johnston, a
Massachusetts Democratic activist and former chairman of the Robert F.
Kennedy Memorial. “One hopes that history will repeat itself.”
In addition to his congressional health insurance plan, which is often
described as one of the most generous in the country, Kennedy’s wealth gives
him the means to afford the best possible health care. The senator is known
to reach into his own pocket and pay supplemental salary to staffers who
otherwise might be tempted to leave his office for better paying jobs.
Kennedy undergoing surgery for brain tumor
updated 7 minutes ago
DURHAM, N.C. - Sen. Edward M. Kennedy was to undergo surgery Monday at Duke
University Medical Center for his cancerous brain tumor and then faces
chemotherapy and radiation treatment, his office said.
The 76-year-old senator was diagnosed last month with a malignant glioma, a
lethal type of brain tumor. A statement from the Massachusetts Democrat’s
office said the surgery would take place on Monday morning in Durham, N.C.,
by one of the nation’s top neurosurgeons, Dr. Allan Friedman, followed by
chemotherapy and radiation.
Experts said surgeons will likely try to remove as much of the tumor as
possible while balancing the risk of harming healthy brain tissue that
affects movement and speech.
The surgery was scheduled to begin around 9 a.m. and expected to last about
six hours, said Anthony Coley, a Kennedy spokesman. The senator will remain
at the North Carolina facility for one week to recuperate and then will
begin further treatments at Massachusetts General Hospital and start
chemotherapy.
“I am deeply grateful to the people of Massachusetts and to my friends,
colleagues and so many others across the country and around the world who
have expressed their support and good wishes as I tackle this new and
unexpected health challenge,” Kennedy said in the statement. “I am humbled
by the outpouring and am strengthened by your prayers and kindness.”
Kennedy said that over the past few days he and his wife, Vicki, “along with
my outstanding team of doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital, have
consulted with experts from around the country and have decided that the
best course of action for my brain tumor is targeted surgery followed by
chemotherapy and radiation.”
Top surgeons
Kennedy said he selected a team of neuro-oncologists from Boston’s
Massachusetts General Hospital and Duke University Medical Center.
The hospital at Duke is on the north side of the campus of the elite private
college in Durham, about 30 minutes west of the state capital in Raleigh.
The brain tumor research center at Duke is conducting several clinical
trials in malignant glioma.
Aside from several television trucks parked outside, there was little sign
that a notable patient was inside.
Friedman is “one of the thought leaders” and a giant in the field of
neuro-oncology, said Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American
Cancer Society, speaking from Chicago, where more than 30,000 cancer
specialists are attending an American Society of Clinical Oncology
conference.
Friedman is chief of the division of neurosurgery in the surgical department
at Duke and also co-director of the neuro-oncology department there. His
clinical interests are brain tumors, skull-based tumors, peripheral nerve
surgery, pituitary tumors and cerebrovascular disaster, according to his
resume on the medical center’s Web site.
After his treatment, Kennedy said, “I look forward to returning to the
United States Senate and to doing everything I can to help elect Barack
Obama as our next president.” Kennedy has endorsed Obama, the front-runner
for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Kennedy was hospitalized May 17 at Massachusetts General Hospital after
undergoing a seizure at his home on Cape Cod. Doctors later announced that
he had a malignant glioma in his left parietal lobe, a brain region that
governs sensation but also plays some role in movement and language. A
malignant glioma is one of the worst kinds of brain cancer, and malignant
gliomas are diagnosed in about 9,000 Americans a year.
Details about Kennedy’s particular type of tumor, which plays a key role in
survival odds, have not been disclosed. Some cancer specialists say it
appears likely to be a glioblastoma multiforme — a serious and
tough-to-remove type — because other kinds of brain tumors are more common
in younger people.
Chemotherapy drug
Kennedy likely will receive the chemotherapy drug Temodar during and after
radiation, said Brawley. The pivotal study showing the drug’s value for
brain tumors was presented three years ago at the clinical oncology
conference. Kennedy also may be treated with Avastin, a newer targeted drug
to deprive the tumor of its blood supply, though this is still experimental
at this stage of treatment.
When operating, “the surgeon usually does as much as possible within the
bounds of safety. We do not want to do neurological damage in an effort to
remove as much of the tumor as possible,” said Dr. Mark Gilbert, a brain
tumor expert at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in
Houston.
Typical radiation treatment is five days a week for a month, using 3-D
imaging techniques that narrowly deliver the beams to the tumor, affecting
as little surrounding tissue as possible.
Kennedy has a history of seeking top medical care available for his family.
He pulled daughter Kara out of Johns Hopkins and brought her to a Boston
hospital when he was not satisfied with the initial course of treatment she
was getting for lung cancer five years ago.
“He didn’t accept that ... and saved her life,” said Philip W. Johnston, a
Massachusetts Democratic activist and former chairman of the Robert F.
Kennedy Memorial. “One hopes that history will repeat itself.”
In addition to his congressional health insurance plan, which is often
described as one of the most generous in the country, Kennedy’s wealth gives
him the means to afford the best possible health care. The senator is known
to reach into his own pocket and pay supplemental salary to staffers who
otherwise might be tempted to leave his office for better paying jobs.