Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg underwent surgery on Thursday after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. While pancreatic cancer is often quite deadly, the court said that doctors found Ginsburg cancer at an early stage. Ginsburg, 75, is the only woman on the Supreme Court, and has been a justice since 1993.

Ginsburg had the surgery today at in New York at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and will remain in the hospital for seven to ten days.

This is not her first bout with cancer, with the last having been in the late 1990's. In 1999 Ginsburg had surgery for colon cancer, and received both chemotherapy and radiation treatment. The pancreatic cancer was discovered during a routine annual exame late last month. The court said that a CAT scan had revealed a tumor measuring about 1cm across at the center of the pancreas.

During Ginsburg last battle with cancer, she received treatment throughout the court's term and didn't miss a single day on the bench. The justices will hold their next private conference on Feb. 20, and will return from winter break to the bench on Feb. 23.

Pancreatic cancer is often considered one of the most deadly cancers. Of the over 38,000 cases diagnosed per year, few than 5% will survive beyond five years. The main reason being is that fewer than 1 in 10 cases are diagnosed at an early stage. This is where Ginsburg has an advantage - hers was said to have been found early.

Surgey for pancreatic cancer is also no picnic, even if the cancer is found early. Typicall parts of the pancreas, stomach and instines are removed, and radiation and chemotherapy are common after surgery.

Ginsburg's prospects depand on a number of issues. It depdns on whether the cancer had begun spreading to her lymph nodes, and what type of pancreatic cancer it was. Most are pretty aggressive, although a small percentage have less aggressive forms.

Steve Jobs is another high-profile survivor of pancreatic cancer. He was diagnosed with it in 2004, and is now said to be suffering other health issues related to it.