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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, February 25, 1992                   TAG: 9202250032
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

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FULL CANCER RECOVERY LIKELY FOR SUPREME COURT JUSTICE

Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens has prostate cancer but will continue working and is expected to recover fully, a court spokeswoman said Monday.

Stevens, 71, one of the conservative court's most liberal members, was appointed by President Gerald Ford in 1975.

"Justice Stevens is expected to continue to participate fully in all cases to come before the court during and after his radiation treatment and to make a full recovery without any residual effects," spokeswoman Toni House said in a prepared statement.

She said he had begun treatment at Georgetown University Hospital.

Stevens participated in the three hours of oral arguments the court heard Monday, and was expected to participate in today's public session as well.

"At the time of his last annual physical examination, a routine screening blood test, the prostatic specific antigen (PSA) was found to be mildly elevated," House's statement said. "A biopsy of the prostate demonstrated localized early adenocarcinoma and a staging evaluation indicated that the tumor was limited to the prostate."

One other current and two retired Supreme Court justices have had prostate problems, not uncommon in elderly men.

Justice Harry Blackmun, at 83 the court's oldest member, has suffered from recurring cancer of the prostate, and was treated for it most recently in 1987. No further problems have been reported.

Stevens, who underwent open-heart surgery in 1974, has been in apparent good health in recent years. He is an avid tennis player.

Stevens is known to court watchers as "the justice in the bow tie."

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