Dr. Allan Friedman, the top neurosurgeon at Duke, removed the tumor, while weighing the risk of harming healthy brain tissue that affects movement and speech.
The Democrat should suffer no permanent damage from the procedure, his surgeon reported.
The surgery took about three and a half hours.
Kennedy is expected to undergo chemotherapy and radiation in coming weeks. He will remain at the North Carolina center for about a week.
The senator was given local rather than general anesthesia so that he would be awake for the surgery. Doctors locate the areas of the brain responsible for movement and speech and map them to ensure they avoid cutting in those areas. The patient is also asked various questions to test his language skills during the surgery as it is very important to keep the brain stimulated.
The patient is fully aware of what is going on including the cutting through and stitching back of the skull.
The 76-year-old Massachusetts senator and brother of the late President John F Kennedy was diagnosed last month with a malignant glioma, a lethal type of brain tumor. This tumor in the left parietal lobe could affect the senator's ability to speak and understand speech as well as strength on the right side of his body.
Doctors will watch Kennedy for signs of bleeding that could lead to a stroke. He will likely be given medicine to prevent brain swelling and seizures.
