What type of brain tumor did Senator Ted Kennedy have?
August 29, 10:43 AM Boston Health News Examiner C. Stacy Beam As anyone who hasn't been living under a rock knows by now, Senator Ted Kennedy, the 'Lion of the Senate', died this past Tuesday, August 25th, of complications arising from a brain tumor. As I write this, the funeral is taking place not far from where I live, at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help here in Boston. Needless to say, it is an end of an era.
AP Photo
Less well known, perhaps, is exactly which type of brain cancer Kennedy suffered from. Approximately fifteen months ago, Senator Kennedy was diagnosed with malignant glioma, a form of cancer which affects glial cells that surround and support nerve cells. The area primarily affected by the cancer in Senator Kennedy's case, was the left parietal lobe of his brain. While the exact form of glioma wasn't revealed, many specialists believed it was a particularly aggressive form known as glioblastoma multiforme, which tends to affect older individuals more than others and which tends to have a relatively poor prognosis once diagnosed. While presenting symptoms may differ from person to person, seizures are often what cause people to seek diagnosis and treatment: Senator Kennedy was diagnosed with brain cancer in May 2008, after being hospitalized after a seizure. At the time, physicians from the Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston, said in a statement: "Preliminary results from a biopsy of the brain identified the cause of a seizure as a malignant glioma in the left parietal lobe." A month later, Senator Kennedy underwent what was described as "successful" surgery at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, and then received both chemotherapy and radiation after returning home to Massachusetts. This course of treatment — surgery followed by both radiation and chemotherapy — was described as the current standard in material released at the time by the American Academy of Neurology. The academy also noted the role that age plays: "The older the patient, the
more likely that their primary tumor is going to be classified as a glioblastoma multiforme," commented Lynne Taylor, MD, director of neuro-oncology at the Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. Six months after the diagnosis, Senator Kennedy had returned to the Capitol and was working part-time while still continuing with treatment. However, in January 2009, he collapsed during the inaugural luncheon for the new president Barack Obama and appeared to be having a seizure as he was helped from the room by medical personnel. Although he was absent from Senate for much of this year, he continued with political campaigning, which included advocacy for healthcare reform. It's important to note that surgery is not always an option for people with gliomas, depending on which part of the brain is affected. And obviously, as with all forms of cancer, early detection is the best way to ensure early treatment, possibly increase longevity or in the alternative, try to ensure that the time one has left is as comfortable and meaningful as possible. For more information on glioma diagnosis and treatment, visit the Mayo Clinic website and WebMD's page on malignant gliomas.