Kennedy released from hospital; heads home to chart treatment for brain tumor

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy has been released from the hospital and is heading to his Cape Cod home after being diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor.

The 76-year-old Kennedy waved to a crowd of well-wishers and gave a thumbs-up as he walked out of Massachusetts General Hospital amid heavy security Wednesday. His dogs greeted him at the hospital door.

Doctors say the liberal Massachusetts Democrat "has recovered remarkably quickly" from a brain biopsy conducted Monday. Kennedy will recuperate at home while the doctors await further test results and determine his treatment plan.

Kennedy has a malignant glioma in his left parietal lobe. Experts say such tumors are almost always fatal.