(May 20, 2008)--Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, has a malignant brain tumor, doctors said in a statement released just after noon Tuesday in an announcement that stunned Kennedy’s colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
The doctors said tests conducted after Kennedy suffered a seizure this weekend at the Kennedy family compound in Hyannis Port show a tumor in his left parietal lobe.
The usual course of treatment includes combinations of radiation and chemotherapy, but Kennedy's treatment will be decided after more tests.
The average survival rate ranges from less than a year for the most advanced and aggressive cancers to about five years for slower growing tumors.
The 76-year-old senator has been hospitalized in Boston since Saturday, when he was airlifted from Cape Cod after suffering a seizure at his home.
His wife and children have been with him each day but have made no public statements.
His doctors said in a statement released to The Associated Press that he has had no further seizures, is in good spirits and resting comfortably.
A spokeswoman for Rhode Island Congressman Patrick Kennedy says Ted Kennedy's son is concerned, but "comforted by the fact that his dad is such a fighter."
Patrick Kennedy plans to stay with his father for some time at the Boston hospital where he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
The White House issued a statement of concern from President and Mrs. Bush soon after the announcement.
“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,” Mr. Bush said.
As word spread on Capitol Hill, partisanship took a holiday.
West Virginia Democrat Senator Robert Byrd, the nation's longest serving Senator, broke down on the Senate floor saying simply, "Thank God for Ted."
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, offered her prayers for Kennedy and his family.
“Sen. Ted Kennedy is a legendary figure in the Senate, having given 46 years of his life to public service,” Hutchison said.
“Two weeks ago Sen. Kennedy and I conducted a committee hearing to assess our efforts in fighting cancer, and we heard directly from experts, including Lance Armstrong.
“Now, as Sen. Kennedy and I are drafting legislation to renew the War on Cancer, we have been given a poignant reminder that the battle has not been won,” she said.
Click Here For Full Text Of Hutchison Statement
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton says "Ted Kennedy's courage and resolve are unmatched, and they made him one of the greatest legislators in Senate history."
Democratic Sen. Barrack Obama called the news “heartbreaking.”
“Ted Kennedy is one of the giants of the Senate,” he said.
“I think it's fair to say I might not be in the Senate had it not been for some of the battles he's fought in the past for voting rights and civil rights. And he has become a great friend and a great supporter and two days ago when I spoke to him he sounded great,” he said.
Republican Sen. John McCain called Kennedy “the last lion in the Senate.”
“He remains the single most effective member of the Senate if you want to get results,” McCain said.
“He is not reluctant to share the credit. And when he fails, he is willing to take the blame. That's why he is one of the most effective members of the senate and we will miss him for that and many other reasons,” McCain said.
Massachusetts’ junior senator, John Kerry, described Kennedy as “one unbelievable fighter.”
“People all over the world we are pulling for our pal and I know that he is determined to fight this because he wants to continue to fight for the people of Massachusetts and he wants to continue to fight for the things he believes here in the United States Senate and in the country,” Kerry said.
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