WASHINGTON — Sen. Edward M. Kennedy underwent a 3 1/2 -hour surgery at Duke University Medical Center on Monday to remove a malignant brain tumor, the first step in what is expected to be weeks or months of therapy.
The surgery "was successful and accomplished our goals," Kennedy's neurosurgeon, Dr. Allan Friedman, said in a statement from Durham, N.C.
Friedman said Kennedy was conscious throughout the procedure and should experience no permanent neurological effects from the surgery.
A Kennedy spokesman said the senator spoke with his wife, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, immediately after the surgery and told her: "I feel like a million bucks. I think I will do that again tomorrow."
In a statement issued by his office, the 76-year-old Democrat said the surgery would be followed by radiation treatments at Massachusetts General Hospital, as well as by chemotherapy.
Saying he was "humbled by the outpouring" of prayers from around the world, the senior senator from Massachusetts thanked those who had "expressed their support and good wishes as I tackle this new and unexpected health challenge."
The liberal lion of the Senate, who endorsed Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois for president in February, said that after completing his treatment, "I look forward to returning to the United States Senate and to doing everything I can to help elect Barack Obama as our next president."
During a Senate debate Monday on a global warming bill, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D.-Calif.) interrupted the proceedings to read a statement from Kennedy's physician and asked the group to pause a moment in prayer for their colleague.
Kennedy was diagnosed last month with a malignant glioma, one of the most lethal forms of brain cancer. About 9,000 people contract it in the U.S. every year, with most dying within two years after diagnosis.
Many experts were surprised that Kennedy chose Duke for the surgery because Boston is home to so many excellent medical centers. One possibility is that he went there because of Friedman's work on therapeutic cancer vaccines.
Although few details about the nature of his tumor or the surgery have been released, experts described what might be considered a typical procedure.
The surgery was intricate, complicated by the fact that the tumor cells can be difficult to distinguish from surrounding brain tissue and because the tumor is close to centers of the brain that control motor function, speech and memory.
