Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., successfully underwent surgery Monday at the Duke University Medical Center for a malignant brain tumor.
Kennedy, 76, has been known to aggressively seek the best medical care for his friends and family, and the renown of Duke's tumor center, as well as the expertise of Dr. Allan Friedman-an internationally respected tumor and vascular surgeon-may have drawn him down South for the operation to treat a malignant glioma in the upper left portion of his brain.
Shortly after the procedure, Kennedy told his wife he felt "like a million bucks," family spokesperson Stephanie Cutter said in a statement.
The senator was initially treated at Massachusetts General Hospital after suffering a seizure at a family home in Cape Cod May 17.
Friedman, Guy L. Odom professor of neurological surgery and neurosurgeon-in-chief at Duke Hospital, also successfully operated on Reynolds Price, Trinity '55 and James B. Duke professor of English, to remove a malignant spinal tumor in 1984.
Friedman also serves as deputy director of Duke's Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, established in 1937 as one of the first brain tumor research and clinical institutions in the nation and now boasting a staff of more than 250.
Kennedy has experienced no complications from the operation and was walking around the hallways, visiting with family and following the news the next day, according to a statement released by his office Tuesday.
"I am pleased to report that Senator Kennedy's surgery was successful and accomplished our goals," Friedman said in a statement Monday.
Although his team at Massachusetts General did not mention surgery as an option after his diagnosis May 20, Kennedy and his wife met with a group of neurosurgeons from Duke and other leading institutions Friday, the New York Times reported.
The surgery, which began at 9 a.m. Monday, was expected to take six hours but lasted only three and a half. Because Kennedy was awake during the procedure, he should experience no permanent neurological affects, Friedman said.
Kennedy will recover at Duke for about a week before returning to Massachusetts General Hospital for targeted radiation aimed at the bed of the tumor and chemotherapy treatment to knock out stray cancer cells.
"I hope that everyone will join us in praying for Sen. Kennedy to have an uneventful and robust recovery," Friedman said in the statement.
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