President Joe Biden had a cancerous skin lesion removed from his chest last month during his regularly scheduled annual check-up, according to a letter from the president’s physician.
(Bloomberg) — President Joe Biden had a cancerous skin lesion removed from his chest last month during his regularly scheduled annual check-up, according to a letter from the president’s physician.
Kevin O’Connor, Biden’s long-time doctor, said the president’s skin has healed “nicely” since the surgery, and a biopsy found the lesion was basal cell carcinoma. No further treatment was required, the doctor said.
O’Connor, in a memorandum to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, wrote that such lesions “do not tend to ‘spread’ or mestastasize, as some more serious skin cancers such as melanoma or squamous cell carcinoma are known to do.”
“The site of the biopsy has healed nicely and the President will continue dermatologic surveillance as part of his ongoing comprehensive healthcare,” O’Connor wrote.
First lady Jill Biden had three cancerous skin lesions removed from her face and chest in January. The couple has launched an initiative, known as ‘Cancer Moonshot,’ to reduce cancer deaths by 50% over the next 25 years.
Biden, 80, has faced questions about his age as he prepares to launch a planned reelection bid. When asked about the issue last week, Biden told ABC News: “It’s legitimate for people to raise issues about my age. It’s totally legitimate to do that. And, the only thing I can say is ‘watch me.’”
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