A small lesion removed from President Biden’s chest during his annual physical last month was cancerous, but no further treatment is needed, his physician said in a memo released Friday.
Kevin O’Connor, the president’s physician. said the lesion was basal cell carcinoma, adding that all cancerous tissue had been removed from the president and no further treatment was required.
“Basal cell carcinoma lesions do not tend to ’spread’ or metastasize, as some more serious skin cancers such as melanoma or squamous cell carcinoma tend to do,” he wrote. “They do, however, have the potential to increase in size, resulting in a more significant issue as well as increased challenges for surgical removal.”
Dr. O’Connor said the biopsy site had “healed nicely” and doctors would continue to monitor Mr. Biden for any new signs of cancer.
The president’s cancer scare only reinforced concerns about his age as he prepares to launch a 2024 reelection campaign. At 80, Mr. Biden is the nation’s oldest sitting president.
Friday’s memo comes roughly two weeks after Mr. Biden had his second physical as president, on Feb. 16 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Dr. O’Connor gave Mr. Biden a clean bill of health after the exam, declaring that the president was “fit for duty” and could fulfill his responsibilities “without any exemptions or accommodations.” Doctors removed the cancerous tissue as well as an “area of concern” from the left side of his chest that was consistent with basal cell carcinoma.
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of skin cancer, with more than 3 million cases diagnosed each year, according to data from the Skin Cancer Foundation.
Mr. Biden had several localized non-melanoma skin cancers removed before he became president, Dr. O’Connor said in his memo summarizing the Feb. 16 physical. The memo said that Mr. Biden, who worked summers as a lifeguard in his youth, spent a lot of time in the sun.
First lady Jill Biden underwent surgery in January to have a skin cancer lesion removed from above her right eye. It was found in a routine skin cancer screening.
Mr. Biden’s son Beau died of brain cancer in 2015 at age 46.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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