Biden had a cancerous tumor removed from his chest during a physical examination

A skin legion lesion removed from President Joe Biden’s chest during his annual physical exam last month was cancerous, White House Doctor Kevin O’Connor announced Friday, but added that no further treatment is needed.

The biopsy confirmed that the small lesion was basal cell carcinoma. All cancerous tissue has been successfully removed,” O’Connor wrote in a memo.

The 80-year-old president will continue to have regular skin exams as part of his ongoing health care, but the biopsy site has “healed nicely,” the White House physician added.

President Biden had the lesion removed from the chest during his physical examination over Biden on the beach in May 2009

Biden had “several localized non-melanoma skin cancers” removed from his body before beginning his presidency, O’Connor said in his summary of the president’s physical examination on Feb. 16. He also acknowledged that Biden spent a lot of time in the sun in his youth.

In evaluating the president, O’Connor deemed him still physically fit for office and described Biden as “healthy” and “vigorous.”

On Friday afternoon, Biden left the White House to spend the weekend at his home in Wilmington, Delaware. Earlier that day, he met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The president is not the only member of the family diagnosed with skin cancer.

First lady Jill Biden had two basal cell lesions removed from her right eye and chest in January. All cancer cells were removed.

The Bidens enjoy going to the beach and often unwind by spending time in the sun. The couple is also known to cycle a lot.

The president got his annual checkup before announcing possible plans for a second term in the White House.

At the time of the physical exam in February, O’Connor noted that Biden had had a lesion removed and the results would be available later.

President Joe Biden runs back to the Oval Office after his annual February 16 physical

O’Connor said Biden’s gait “remains stiff,” but noted it hasn’t worsened since the president’s latest inquiry.

A detailed “neurological examination” also found nothing “consistent with cerebellar or central neurological disease.”

Biden was not given a cognitive test, despite some calls from Republicans to get one. Republicans question his eligibility to run, which is expected to be used as a political issue in the next election.

Biden is already the oldest president in US history, and if he wins another term, he will be 82 at the time of his second inauguration.

WHAT IS BASAL CELL CARCINOMA?

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a type of non-melanoma skin cancer.

Non-melanoma means that no skin pigment cells are involved.

BCC often appears as scabs that bleed

BCC makes up more than 80 percent of all skin cancers in the UK and US.

About 5.4 million basal and squamous cell cancers are diagnosed each year in the US and about 100,000 in the UK.

It is mainly caused by overexposure to UV light from the sun or tanning beds.

BCC can appear anywhere on the body, but is most common on sun-exposed areas such as the face, neck, and ears.

The following people are most at risk:

• People with white skin or hair
• who work outside the home
• People who use tanning beds
• Those with a personal history of the condition

BCC is usually painless. Early symptoms often only include a scab that bleeds occasionally and does not heal.

Some appear as flat, red, scaly spots or have a pearly rim. The latter can then erode into an ulcer.

Others are lumpy with shiny nodules criss-crossed by blood vessels.

Most BCCs can be cured, but treatment is complex if they are kept for a long time.

Treatment usually involves removing the cancerous growth and some of the surrounding skin.

Source: British Skin Foundation And NHS choices