U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, center, is surrounded by family members, left to right, son U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, stepson Curran Raclin, son Edward Kennedy Jr., daughter Kara Kennedy and his wife Vicki at Massachusetts General Hospital.

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AP / Stephan Savoia

Massachusetts Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, the Democratic Party warrior and the most resilient American political figure of his generation, was diagnosed yesterday with brain cancer — a gloomy prognosis that sent a wave of shock and sympathy through the American political community.

Kennedy, 76, was diagnosed with a tumor in his left parietal lobe after a series of tests at Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston. Preliminary results from a biopsy of his brain identified the source of a seizure he suffered Saturday on Cape Cod as malignant glioma.

Family members, including U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy of Rhode Island, have been camped out at Mass. General since the senator suffered a seizure and was airlifted on Saturday from Cape Cod, where the Kennedy clan has a summer home.

“Obviously he is concerned. This is tough news for any son to hear,” said Robin Costello, Patrick Kennedy’s spokeswoman. “He is uplifted by the fact that his father is such a fighter and if anyone can beat this he can. He’s putting his faith in that.”

Patrick Kennedy declined interview requests yesterday, but Costello said he has been heartened by the outpouring of thoughts and prayers from friends and constituents. “He is thankful for the support but he wants people to respect his family’s privacy at this very difficult time.”

Joining Patrick Kennedy at the hospital have been his siblings, Edward M. Kennedy Jr., and Kara Kennedy, both of whom were planning to stay at the congressman’s Portsmouth home last night.

The senator will remain in the hospital for two or three more days and then go to his home in Hyannisport. Patrick Kennedy plans to accompany his father to Hyannisport, Costello said.

Senator Kennedy’s doctors released a statement at 1 p.m. yesterday, saying that he is in “good spirits and full of energy.”

“He has had no further seizures, remains in good overall condition, and is up and walking around the hospital,” said the statement released by two doctors who have been treating Kennedy.

The usual treatment for the type of tumor Kennedy has includes combinations of various forms of radiation and chemotherapy, according to the doctors.

Kennedy spent Monday evening watching the no-hitter pitched by Boston Red Sox left-hander Jon Lester, a cancer survivor.

Cancer is no stranger to the Kennedy family. Two of Kennedy’s children are cancer survivors: Kara Kennedy was diagnosed several years ago with lung cancer, but has been doing well after aggressive treatments in Boston; Edward “Teddy” Kennedy Jr., lost a leg to cancer while a teenager. Joan Bennett Kennedy, the senator’s former wife, has suffered from breast cancer.

Kennedy has also endured tragedy and troubles that would have ended the career of a less resilient person.

All three of his brothers died young: Joseph Kennedy Jr., in a World War II plane crash; President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy of New York died from assassins’ bullets.

Senator Kennedy suffered a debilitating small plane crash while campaigning in 1964, which resulted in lifelong back trouble that often makes it painful for him to walk. In 1969, a woman, Mary Jo Kopechne, died in the senator’s car on Chappaquiddick Island on Martha’s Vineyard in an accident that tainted Kennedy’s reputation and challenged his political career.

In 1980, Kennedy ran for the Democratic presidential nomination against incumbent President Jimmy Carter. He lost to Carter, but returned to the Senate and carved a record as the most influential liberal Democrat of his time and one of the most influential of all time.

Through it all, he kept up a very aggressive schedule, both in Washington and in Massachusetts, where he has never lost an election.

Kennedy is a familiar figure on television, raising the ire of conservatives and attracting the affection of liberals. His white mane, toothy grin, florid face and finger-wagging rhetorical flourishes are well known to anyone who follows politics. Since January, Kennedy has been a stalwart campaigner for the presidential campaign of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

In Washington yesterday, Kennedy’s diagnoses caused an outpouring of sympathy from colleagues, Democratic political allies and Republican opponents.

“Laura and I are concerned to learn of our friend Senator Kennedy’s diagnosis,” said President Bush in a statement released by the White House. “Ted Kennedy is a man of tremendous courage, remarkable strength, and powerful spirits.”

The first word to congressional colleagues of the diagnosis came yesterday morning in a telephone call from Patrick Kennedy to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California. By mid-afternoon, Pelosi was among the congressional leaders rushing to express their affection and support for Kennedy, who was first elected to the Senate in 1962.

Support came from Senate veterans, such as Kennedy’s closest associate in the chamber, Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., who said Kennedy, “is a strong guy and has great heart and we’re confident in getting him back.”

And from freshmen lawmakers, such as Rhode Island Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse: “This is difficult and saddening news, but the senator’s energy, strength, and force of will are legendary, and we are hopeful. Sandra’s and my thoughts and prayers remain with Senator Kennedy, Congressman Kennedy, and their family as they face this new challenge.” A lifetime in politics

•Feb. 22, 1932: Edward Moore Kennedy is born in Boston, the youngest of nine children of Joseph P. and Rose Kennedy.

•May 1951: Kennedy is caught cheating on an exam and leaves Harvard College. He enlists in the Army and serves for the next 16 months and later reenrolls at Harvard.

•June 1954: Kennedy graduates from Harvard and enrolls at the University of Virginia Law School. He graduates in 1959.

•Nov. 29, 1958: Kennedy marries Virginia Joan Bennett.

•Nov. 6, 1962: Kennedy is elected as a Massachusetts senator, serving out the unexpired term of his brother, President John F. Kennedy.

•June 1964: Kennedy’s back is broken in a plane crash that kills his aide and the pilot.

•July 18, 1969: Kennedy drives his car off a bridge at Chappaquiddick, Mass., and manages to escape. His passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne, drowns. Kennedy later pleads guilty to leaving the scene of an accident, a misdemeanor, and receives a two-month suspended sentence and a year’s probation.

•November 1979: Kennedy announces his candidacy for the 1980 presidential election, challenging incumbent Democratic President Jimmy Carter.

•August 1980: In an emotional speech to the Democratic National Convention, Kennedy withdraws his bid for the presidency.

•December 1982: After 24 years of marriage, he divorces his wife, Joan.

•July 1992: Kennedy marries Victoria Reggie, a Washington lawyer.

•Feb. 6, 2000: Kennedy is released from a hospital after being treated for bacterial pneumonia.

•November 2006: Kennedy easily wins an eighth term that will extend his Senate career to an even 50 years in 2012.

•Oct. 30, 2007: Kennedy has surgery in Boston to clear a partially blocked artery in his neck.

•May 17, 2008: Kennedy suffers a seizure at his Cape Cod home.

•May 20, 2008: Doctors diagnose Kennedy with a cancerous brain tumor.

Source: The Associated Press and PBS.

jmulligan@belo-dc.com