"Cancer Doctors See Encouraging Signs for Ruth Bader Ginsburg" -Denise Grady
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had surgery to have cancerous growths removed from her lung. Two nodules were found in her left lung after she underwent tests following a fall that fractured three of her ribs in November. Both nodules removed during surgery were found to be malignant on initial pathology evaluation, but there was no evidence of any remaining disease. The lobectomy would have removed about a third of the left lung, said Dr. Raja Flores, MD, chair of thoracic surgery at the Mount Sinai Health System. Recovery should not be difficult, he said. “She’s over 80 years old, so they will go slowly with her. Usually you are up and walking the day after surgery,” he added. The biggest risks, he said, will be pneumonia and blood clots. Dr. Flores believes it is most likely the lung tumors are a recurrence of pancreatic cancer, but one that is slow-growing and therefore not a medical emergency. "As long as she recovers from surgery well, she should be fine. I don't think people should worry," Dr. Flores concluded.
— Raja Flores, MD, Steven and Ann Ames Professorship in Thoracic Surgery, Director, Thoracic Surgical Oncology Program, The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Chair, Thoracic Surgery, Mount Sinai Health System
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