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BOSTON - Sen. Ted Kennedy was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor Tuesday in what could be the grim final chapter in a life marked by exhilarating triumph and shattering tragedy. Some experts gave the liberal lion less than a year to live.
Doctors discovered the tumor after the 76-year-old senator and sole surviving son of America's most storied political family suffered a seizure over the weekend. The diagnosis cast a pall over Capitol Hill, where the Massachusetts Democrat has served since 1962, and came as a shock to a family all too accustomed to sudden, calamitous news.
"Ted Kennedy and the Kennedy family have faced adversity more times in more instances with more courage and more determination and more grace than most families have to," said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. "Every one of us knows what a big heart this fellow has. He's helped millions and millions of people - from the biggest of legislation on the floor to the most personal."
Kerry added: "This guy is one unbelievable fighter."
Kennedy's doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital said he had a malignant glioma in the left parietal lobe, a region of the brain that helps govern sensation, movement and language.
The finding of a brain tumor - and specifically a glioma, an especially lethal type - was about the worst possible news.
Kennedy's doctors said he will remain in the hospital for the next couple of days as they consider chemotherapy and radiation.
In a statement, Lee Schwamm, vice chairman of neurology at Massachusetts General, and Larry Ronan, Kennedy's primary physician, said the senator "has had no further seizures, remains in good overall condition, and is up and walking around the hospital."
"He remains in good spirits and full of energy," the physicians said.
Kennedy, the Senate's second-longest serving member, was re-elected in 2006 and is not up for election again until 2012. Were he to resign or die in office, state law requires a special election for the seat in 145 to 160 days.
Last summer, Kennedy announced a deal with a publisher to write a memoir, scheduled to come out in 2010.
Utah's senators said they are praying for Kennedy, particularly Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, who is one of Kennedy's close friends.
"Having been on opposite sides of many issues," Hatch said, "Ted and I have sparred a lot. So I know firsthand what a formidable fighter he is, and I know that he will do all he can to battle this disease."
He added: "I look forward to working with him again."
Hatch and Kennedy co-sponsored the State Children's Health Insurance Program and other legislation through their positions on the Senate Health, Education and Labor Committee.
Sen. Bob Bennett said he shares no committee assignments with Kennedy and so the two haven't developed a close relationship.
"At the same time, with all the senators, my thoughts and prayers are with Senator Kennedy and his family."
A malignant glioma is the worst kind of brain cancer; it strikes almost 9,000 Americans a year. Survival statistics are grim - few live three years and for the worst subtype, half die within a year. Who lasts longer - and some do - depends on exactly what form of glioma someone has, whether surgeons can cut most of it out, age and other medical details. Kennedy's doctors didn't mention surgery, suggesting that may not be a possibility for him.
Kennedy's brain tumor is cancerous
Senator will stay in hospital for next couple of days as doctors consider chemotherapy and radiation