WASHINGTON – Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had two cancerous growths removed from her lung Friday and will remain hospitalized for several days.

Ginsburg, the leader of the court's liberal faction, underwent a pulmonary lobectomy at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, according to a news release from the court.

The procedure to remove two nodules in the lower lobe of her left lung followed their discovery during tests performed last month to diagnose and treat rib fractures suffered in a fall on Nov. 7.

Both nodules removed during surgery were found to be malignant on initial pathology evaluation, according to thoracic surgeon Valerie Rusch, the court's release said. Post-surgery, there was no evidence of any remaining disease in the lung or anywhere else in Ginsburg's body, the court said.

"Currently, no further treatment is planned," the court release said. "Justice Ginsburg is resting comfortably and is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days. Updates will be provided as they become available."

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute. From 2009-13, it caused more deaths than breast, prostate, colorectal and liver cancers combined. The five-year survival rate is just 18 percent, but far better if the cancer is discovered at an early stage.

Ginsburg, a 25-year veteran of the nation's highest court and a cultural icon among liberals and proponents of women's rights, has been closely monitored by those on the left and right for her health. Conservatives have a 5-4 majority on the court, and future vacancies during President Donald Trump's watch could increase that margin. Republicans will have a 53-47 majority in the Senate next year.

Ginsburg's lung cancer is just the latest in a lengthy list of physical maladies from which she has recovered over the years. She had colon cancer 20 years ago and pancreatic cancer a decade ago. She received a stent in a heart procedure in 2014 and has been injured in previous falls. None of those incidents kept her off the bench.

More:Ruth Bader Ginsburg on #MeToo: Women of my generation have 'many stories'

More:8 intriguing facts about Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Last month, she fell in her office and went home but experienced discomfort overnight and was driven to George Washington University Hospital, where she was found to have fractured three ribs on her left side.

Ginsburg was forced to miss the formal investiture ceremony for new Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh at the court later that day. But by nightfall, she was said to be working in her hospital room.

Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, an oncologist who heads the department of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania, said it may be encouraging that Ginsburg's cancer was discovered incidentally following her fall.

"If you get it early, you've got a very good survival rate," he said, noting 83 percent of those with stage one lung cancer survive at least five years. "Everything depends upon the stage of lung cancer. Mostly, lung cancer is diagnosed at an advanced stage.”

Dr. Julie Brahmer, director of the thoracic oncology program and professor of oncology at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, said patients can be cured by surgery if the cancer is caught at an early stage.

“A lot will depend on the actual stage of the cancer," she said. Based on the initial press release from the court, she said, "it sounds like a very good prognosis.”

In recent years, Ginsburg has worked out twice weekly with a personal trainer in the Supreme Court's gym, to the beat of the PBS NewsHour.

She wrote the first opinion issued by the court for the term that began in October, marking the third consecutive year she has done so.

Earlier this year, Ginsburg said she intended to stay on the bench for at least five more years, noting that Associate Justice John Paul Stevens served until age 90. Stevens retired in 2010 and is now 98.

The second woman appointed to the court – Justice Sandra Day O'Connor became the first in 1981 – Ginsburg has gained celebrity status as the "Notorious RBG." She is the subject of a recent documentary, "RBG," and a feature film, "On the Basis of Sex," which opens in theaters next week.