President Biden had basal cell cancerous tissue removed from his chest, White House says
WASHINGTON – A lesion removed from President Biden's chest during a recent physical was basal cell carcinoma, a common though relatively harmless type of skin cancer, the White House said Friday.
All cancerous tissue was removed, President Joe Biden's physician, Dr. Kevin C. O'Connor, wrote in a memo released by the White House.
The area around the biopsy site was treated at the time the lesion was removed during Biden's physical last month.
"No further treatment is required," O'Connor wrote.
The site of the biopsy has "healed nicely," he said, and Biden's skin will continue to be monitored.
What is basal cell carcinoma?
Basal cell carcinoma is the most curable form of skin cancer. It’s considered highly treatable, especially when caught early. It is a slow-growing cancer that usually is confined to the surface of skin — doctors almost always can remove it all with a shallow incision — and seldom causes serious complications or becomes life-threatening.
In January, doctors removed a cancerous lesion from above first lady Jill Biden’s right eye and another on the left side of her chest. A third lesion on her left eyelid was removed as a precaution and sent for standard microscopic examination.
How's Biden's overall health?
Biden's routine physical took on extra scrutiny as the octogenarian is widely expected to announce a reelection bid in the coming weeks.
After the February examination, O'Connor said Biden remains a "healthy, vigorous 80-year-old male who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency."
Contributing: Michael Collins.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden had basal cell cancerous tissue removed from his chest
