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| Kennedy to undergo brain surgery | Kennedy to undergo brain surgery |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| US Senator Edward Kennedy is to undergo surgery on Monday for a brain tumour, according to a statement by his office. | US Senator Edward Kennedy is to undergo surgery on Monday for a brain tumour, according to a statement by his office. |
| The senator for Massachusetts, 76, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour last month, following a seizure. | The senator for Massachusetts, 76, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour last month, following a seizure. |
| The operation will take place at North Carolina's Duke University Medical Center. After a week's recuperation, Mr Kennedy is due to begin chemotherapy. | The operation will take place at North Carolina's Duke University Medical Center. After a week's recuperation, Mr Kennedy is due to begin chemotherapy. |
| The youngest brother of assassinated President John F Kennedy is one of the best-known US Democratic politicians. | |
| In a statement, Mr Kennedy said he and his wife had consulted with doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital and experts from around the country. | |
| As a result, they had "decided that the best course of action for my brain tumour is targeted surgery followed by chemotherapy and brain surgery", he said. | |
| Doctors diagnosed a malignant glioma in the left parietal lobe after Mr Kennedy was hospitalised in mid-May. | |
| Mr Kennedy added: "After completing treatment, I look forward to returning to the United States Senate and to doing everything I can to help elect Barack Obama president." | |
| The second longest-serving member of the Senate, Mr Kennedy has been an active supporter of Senator Obama in his fight to be the Democratic choice to run for US president. | |
| Powerful clan | |
| Mr Kennedy was first elected senator for Massachusetts in November 1962 - shortly after turning the requisite 30 years of age - to replace his brother, who had been elected president in 1960. | |
| EDWARD MOORE KENNEDY 1932 Born, youngest of nine siblings1962 Becomes country's youngest senator1963, 1968 Brothers President John F Kennedy and Senator Robert F Kennedy both assassinated1969 "Chappaquiddick incident" - Kennedy flees scene after road crash in which his young female passenger dies1980 Runs unsuccessfully for Democratic nomination against sitting President Jimmy Carter Profile: 'Teddy' Kennedy | |
| Since then he has been re-elected seven times. | |
| Born into a rich and powerful Irish-American Catholic family, the son of Joseph Kennedy, Edward "Teddy" Kennedy became the head of the clan after the deaths of his three elder brothers. | |
| The eldest, Joseph Jr, was killed while flying a bomber during World War II. | |
| John was assassinated while president in 1963, and Robert was shot dead while running for president in 1968. | |
| Edward, or Teddy, as he is known, ran against sitting President Jimmy Carter in 1980, but failed, after struggling to put the infamous "Chappaquiddick incident" behind him. | |
| He had, in 1969, crashed a car off a bridge, and while he escaped, his young female passenger drowned in the water below. He fled and did not report the incident to police for more than eight hours. | |
| He later pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and received a suspended two-month sentence. | |
| Mr Kennedy is also the father of Congressman Patrick J Kennedy. |