Kennedy undergoes brain surgery, first step in treatment (Roundup)

Jun 2, 2008, 22:42 GMT

Edward \'Ted\' Kennedy, the long-time Democratic Party icon and Massachusetts senator, underwent successful surgery Monday on a malignant brain tumour discovered last month. EPA/STEFAN ZAKLIN

Washington - Edward 'Ted' Kennedy, the long-time Democratic Party icon and Massachusetts senator, underwent successful surgery Monday on a malignant brain tumour discovered last month.

The last surviving Kennedy brother was operated on for about three and a half hours at the Duke University Medical Centre in North Carolina, the hospital said in a statement.

'I am pleased to report that Senator Kennedy's surgery was successful and accomplished our goals,' said Dr Allan Friedman, who performed the operation.

Friedman said the surgery was 'just the first step' in treating the tumour. Kennedy himself earlier said he expected to recuperate for a week before starting radiation treatment and chemotherapy at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The veteran 76-year-old politician was hospitalized and diagnosed with a glioma, a cancerous tumour of the brain that is particularly dangerous, after he suffered a seizure in mid-May while out walking his dogs.

Doctors said that the seizure was caused by a tumour in Kennedy's left parietal lobe.

The news of Kennedy's condition was met with an outpouring of concern and shock in the United States. A patriarch of the Democratic Party, Kennedy is the third-longest serving US senator and considered one of Congress' most effective-ever legislators.

'I am deeply grateful to the people ... who have expressed their support and good wishes as I tackle this new and unexpected health challenge,' Kennedy said earlier Monday in announcing the surgery. 'I am humbled by the outpouring and am strengthened by your prayers and kindness.'

The Kennedy family has had its share of tragedy. Ted Kennedy's brother John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated as president in 1963. His other brother Robert Kennedy was also assassinated while running for the White House in 1968. His wife and one of his children have also suffered but recovered from cancer.