Kennedy heads home after brain surgery at Duke

The elder Kennedy underwent surgery June 2, when Dr. Allan Friedman tried to remove as much of a brain tumor as possible. Kennedy's son, U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, said the surgery went better than anyone expected.

"Sen. Edward Kennedy is making an excellent recovery from his brain surgery. He will continue his recuperation at home in Massachusetts under the supervision of the very capable doctors at the Massachusetts General Hospital," Friedman said in a statement Monday.

"The senator and his wife, Vicki, are wonderful people, and I hope you will join me in wishing them the best as they continue their difficult journey to fight this disease. Their courageous and positive attitude is a lesson for us all," Friedman said.

Patrick Kennedy said his father would head home to Hyannisport on Cape Cod and would begin targeted radiation and chemotherapy treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Friedman is a respected leader in the giant field of neuro-oncology.

"He's an excellent surgeon. His patients are in very good hands," said Dr. Matthew Ewend, the neurosurgery chief at the nearby University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Friedman is Duke's neurosurgeon-in-chief and the program director of the university's Division of Neurosurgery. He also serves as the deputy director of the university's Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center.

An internationally known tumor and vascular surgeon, he is responsible for more than 90 percent of tumor resections and biopsies at Duke.