Is it the same as Senator Kennedy's?

The short answer is we don't know yet if Kennedy's is the same.

As you can imagine, we have viewed the recent news headlines involving Senator Kennedy much differently than we might have just 6 weeks ago.

Here's what I know:

Kennedy’s tumor has been diagnosed as a glioma, so has Conan's. Kennedy only had a small incision and biopsy performed. Conan had a larger incision and a craniotomy.

But, glioma is not a specific type of cancer. It is a general category of brain tumor that includes astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas, ependymomas and gliobastoma multiforme. They are named according to the specific type of brain cell affected. Gliomas can be high-grade, which are more dangerous, or low-grade, which are often slow-growing and require little or no treatment.

A glioblastoma is the most common brain tumor that affects adults. It is also the most rapidly growing malignant tumor of the brain, with the shortest survival rate. (from msnbc.com)

Conan’s tumor has been identified as an astrocytoma, which is a type of glioma. My father-in-law had a gliobastoma multiforme in 1991, also a type of glioma.

Like Conan did two weeks ago, Kennedy is now waiting for pathology reports to give doctors more information about the type of tumor. Conan's age and general health give him a definite edge over Kennedy. And when I hear the statistics journalists are throwing out with regard to Kennedy, it makes me cringe. But the stats take into account all grades of glioma tumors, all ages and all levels of general health. Conan has many more factors in his favor.

You can e-mail me with any questions you might have. I will try to find the answers.

Or if you want to leave a message for Gretta & Conan, use the comment link or send me the note and I will forward it.

Also please share the blog address with others that are interested in Conan's progress.