with no evidence of disease after surgery but who have a statistical chance that there is microscopic spread often get chemotherapy to kill off that disease , '' explained Dr. Otis Brawley , chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society . Getting back into her regular routine was important to the justice , and it would help her cope with future medical treatment , sources close to her said . She successfully fought colorectal cancer a decade ago . Almost 35,000 Americans are estimated to have died from pancreatic cancer in 2008 , making it the fourth leading cause of cancer death overall , according to the American Cancer Society . For all ages combined , the one-year survival rate is 24 percent ; the five-year survival rate is 5 percent . The low survival rate is a result of the disease commonly going undetected until it has reached an advanced stage . Ginsburg -- the only woman on the Supreme Court -- entered a New York hospital after a CT scan in January `` revealed a small tumor , approximately one centimeter across , in the center of the pancreas , '' a previous news release said .
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg plans to undergo a `` precautionary '' course of chemotherapy following her surgery last month for pancreatic cancer , the Supreme Court announced Tuesday . President Obama greets Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on her arrival for his February 24 address to Congress . The treatments will begin later this month at the National Institutes of Health outside Washington , the court said . In a statement , the justice said the treatment is `` not expected to affect my schedule at the court . Thereafter , it is anticipated that I will require only routine examinations to assure my continuing health . '' Ginsburg , who turned 76 on Sunday , has consistently signaled her health outlook is positive . She termed the February 5 removal of her cancer `` successful , '' and was back on the bench 18 days later when the high court resumed oral arguments . Ginsburg 's post-op recovery has gone well , and doctors and the family are cautiously optimistic , court sources said . The disease was caught early and had not spread beyond her pancreas , doctors have said . `` Cancer patients