Most of us have heard the sad and shocking news: Senator Ted Kennedy has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor after suffering from a seizure last Saturday. Now a breaking article in TIME, Kennedy's Brain Cancer: How Bad?, asks the very next question on most of our minds. How serious is his brain cancer -- what's his prognosis?

Senator Kennedy has a malignant glioma, the most common type of brain tumor, on his left parietal lobe. Seizure is a first sign in 30 to 40 percent of cases. At the moment, doctors are in the analysis stage to determine both type of glioma and appropriate treatment. Standard glioma therapy involves surgical removal of the tumor first, followed by chemotherapy and radiation. Temodar and Gliadel are two new chemotherapy drugs Kennedy and his doctors may very well consider. Gliadel is a dime-sized wafer containing a cancer-killing drug which surgeons implant along the walls and floor of the cavity the brain tumor once occupied.

I've read plenty of doom and gloom on the Senator's prognosis. Phrases abound such as "experts say such tumors are almost always fatal" and "prognosis is poor." The No Hope message is front and center. But TIME shares another, more positive perspective from Dr. Henry Brem, director of neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. If Kennedy's tumor is easily removed, he has a good chance of controlling the cancer with chemo and radiation. Brem has patients doing just fine 20 to 30 years after diagnosis and treatment. I hope Senator Kennedy's tumor is entirely operable -- I hope the Senator becomes a brain cancer survivor.

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A recent study indicated that Avastin (a cancer-fighting drug) and a form of chemotherapy can help cancer patients with a deadly type of brain tumor called a glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Normally, a cancer drug and chemo should help against tumors, one would think.

But this form of brain tumor is highly deadly once it reaches a certain stage, and the combo treatment was found to extend the life of patients with GBM and also improve overall survival as well.

The study involved 35 people with GBM who had their cancer return after standard therapy, including surgery, radiation treatment and chemotherapy. The "bevacizumab/irinotecan" therapy was then found to halt tumor progression and 80 percent were alive after six months as well.

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It seems like every day scientists are discovering new ways to fight against cancer. While many of these treatments come in the form of drugs, there's also a growing number of foods that have been proven to be effective against the disease.

The latest research has found that people can beat brain cancer -- even destroy potentially deadly tumors -- simply by eating garlic. In the study, scientists learned that three garlic compounds -- DAS, DADS, and DATS -- kill brain cancer cells by creating chemical reactions that basically gorge the cells to death.

There's further research that needs to be conducted to fully understand this discovery, but in the meantime, if you're interested in using garlic for its cancer-fighting qualities, remember that you need to peel garlic and let it sit for 15 minutes prior to cooking with it. In that time, the enzyme that produces the anti-cancer compound will be released.

Also, it's important not to go overboard. Too much garlic can cause diarrhea, and even internal bleeding. So, as always, it's best to check with your doctor before self-medicating.

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