Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Has Surgery for Pancreatic Cancer

Justice Ginsburg is 75 years old. She was appointed to the Court in 1993 by President Clinton.

WASHINGTON (Catholic Online) - The United State's Supreme Court has issued the following Press release:

"U. S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had surgery for an apparently early-stage pancreatic cancer today, at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. According to Dr. Murray Brennan, the attending surgeon, Justice Ginsburg will likely remain in the hospital approximately 7-10 days.

"Justice Ginsburg had no symptoms prior to the incidental discovery of the lesion during a routine annual check-up in late January at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. A Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT) Scan revealed a small tumor, approximately 1 cm across, in the center of the pancreas.

Justice Ginsburg is 75 years old. She was appointed to the Court in 1993 by President Clinton."

As expected, the announcement offered little information on the likelihood of the Justice's recovery or the seriousness of any possibility of disability. Supreme Court Press Releases are normally brief and merely informative in nature.

The Surgeon treating the Justice is highly regarded in this area and the indications are that the surgery was in the early stages when it was diagnosed.

Fewer than 5% of those who are treated with this serious form of cancer survive more than five years. However, as was the case with the Justice, early detection is the key to the projection.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly cancers: Nearly 38,000 cases a year are diagnosed and overall, fewer than 5 percent survive more than five years. The surgery is substantial and is normally followed with radiation and chemotherapy.

Justice Ginsburg has had a previous bout with cancer.

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