Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg announced last week that was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and that is currently undergoing a treatment to get better. This type of cancer is extremely rare and according to the reports, 95 percent of the patients die from it. The American Cancer Society ranks it as the fourth most common cause of cancer death in the country after lung, colon and breast cancer.

"Of all the relatively common human cancers, it is by far has the highest death rate and worst outcome," explains Dr. Andrew Lowy, chief of surgical oncology at the Moores University of California, San Diego Cancer Center.

Ginsburg underwent surgery last Thursday at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, in order to remove a small cancerous tumor from the center of her pancreas.

The 75-year-old had had to deal with serious illnesses before: in 1999 she managed to overcome colon cancer. At the time, just as she did last week, she disclosed her condition without leaving anything out.

Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg stated on Friday that Ginsburg announced her intention to come back to the court in time for the three days of oral arguments scheduled to begin on Feb. 23. At this point it is not clear whether she will decide to continue working or step down in order to focus her efforts on the treatment.

Ginsberg is the only female judge currently on the Supreme Court, and was appointed to the position by former President Bill Clinton back in 1993.