The McCain family has requested everyone’s prayers…

Sen. John McCain, 80, has been diagnosed with a primary glioblastoma, a type of brain tumor, Mayo Clinic doctors directly involved in the senator’s care told CNN.

The senator underwent surgery to remove a blood clot on Friday at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix. Lab results from that surgery confirmed the presence of glioblastoma associated with the blood clot.

Glioblastoma is a particularly aggressive tumor that forms in the tissue of the brain and spinal cord, according to the American Brain Tumor Association.

A pathologist was in the operating room during the procedure, a minimally invasive craniotomy with an eyebrow incision, said his doctor, who added that the surgery lasted about 3 to 4 hours. Post-surgical brain scans show the tissue causing concern has been completely removed.

McCain is recovering “amazingly well,” according to a statement from his office.

The senator showed no neurological problems before or after the operation, said his doctors. Though not identified by name, at McCain’s request, his doctors were given permission speak with Gupta, who is also a practicing neurosurgeon.

McCain is now recovering at his Arizona home. He and his family are considering treatment options, which will likely include radiation and chemotherapy, his doctors said.

The surgical procedure McCain underwent is “a significant operation,” said Gupta, explaining that a bone underneath the eyebrow had to be removed to do the procedure and then later put back.

“It’s a very aggressive tumor,” said Gupta. He explained that survival for malignant glioblastoma tends to be around 14 months with treatment, which could not begin until the incision heals, which would be in the next three or four weeks.

However, a 2009 study reported that almost 10% of patients with glioblastoma may live five years or longer, according to the American Brain Tumor Association.

“This is the same tumor that Ted Kennedy had,” said Gupta. – My Fox 8

Senator Kennedy was diagnosed with a malignant glioma in May 2008, after being hospitalized following a seizure. A month later, he underwent what was described as “successful” surgery at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, and then received both chemotherapy and radiation after returning home to Massachusetts.

Six months after the diagnosis, Senator Kennedy had returned to the Capitol and was working part-time while still continuing with treatment.

Senator Kennedy died on August 25, 2009. –Medscape