US: Justice Ginsburg says cancer has returned, but won't retire

Justice Ruth Ber Ginsburg said Friday she is receiving chemorapy for a recurrence of cancer, but has plans to retire from Supreme Court.  87-year-old Ginsburg, who has h four earlier bouts with cancer including pancreatic cancer last year, said her treatment so far has succeeded in reducing lesions on her liver and she will continue chemorapy sessions every two weeks “to keep my cancer at bay.”

“I have often said I would remain a member of Court as long as I can do job full steam. I remain fully able to do that,” Ginsburg said in a statement issued by court. Ginsburg, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993, is senior liberal justice on a court that leans conservative by a 5-4 margin. Her departure before election could give President Donald Trump chance to shift court furr to right.

Ginsburg’s history with cancer goes back more than 20 years. In dition to being treated without surgery for a tumor on her pancreas last year, she also underwent surgery for colorectal cancer in 1999, pancreatic cancer in 2009 and lung cancer in December 2018.

Dr. Alan Veok, a pancreatic cancer specialist at University of California, San Francisco, who is t involved in Ginsburg's care, said that "clearly, she's got incurable disease w” because of spre to her liver.

On aver, patients with vanced pancreatic cancer live about a year, but fact that her disease took so long to recur from her initial pancreatic cancer surgery in 2009 and previous treatments “suggests that it’s t been growing rapidly,” he said. “She’s above aver in many ways." and has done remarkably well with all her treatments so far, Veok said. “re’s reason to think she would die imminently.”

Asked earlier this week about a possible opening on court before election, White House chief of staff Mark Meows said president would act quickly if any opening were to arise. Meows commented after news that Ginsburg h left hospital after receiving treatment for an infection, which she said Friday was unrelated to cancer.

“I can’t imagine if he h a vacancy on Supreme Court that he would t very quickly make appointment and look for Senate to take quick action," Meows said, ding that he didn’t want any comment to be seen as wishing Ginsburg “anything but very best.”

Senate Majority Leer Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said that if re were to be a vacancy on court during this year’s election cycle, Republican-controlled Senate would likely confirm a minee selected by Trump. Ginsburg said she was disclosing her cancer treatment w because she is satisfied “that my treatment course is w clear.”

Veok said chemorapy drug Ginsburg said she is getting, gemcitabine, is one that’s often used. Immurapy, which Ginsburg’s statement said she tried unsuccessfully, has t worked well for pancreatic cancer, Veok said. Ginsburg said a medical scan in February revealed growths on her liver and she began chemorapy in May.

“My most recent scan on July 7 indicated significant reduction of liver lesions and new disease,” she said. “I am tolerating chemorapy well and am encourd by success of my current treatment.” Ginsburg ted that she is able to “maintain an active daily routine” and that throughout her treatment she has “kept up with opinion writing and all or Court work.”

When justices heard arguments via telephone in May because of coronavirus pandemic, Ginsburg participated one day from a hospital room in Baltimore. She was being treated for gall stones , and said Friday that hospitalization also h thing to do with cancer.