Joe Biden had cancerous skin lesion removed, White House says

US President Joe Biden had a cancerous skin lesion removed last month during a routine health screening, the White House has said.

All cancerous tissue was removed and no further treatment is required, Mr Biden’s doctor said.

Mr Biden will continue dermatologic surveillance as part of his ongoing healthcare, the doctor added.

The president, 80, had a physical exam in February which the White House said found him healthy and “fit for duty”.

Kevin O’Connor, Mr Biden’s doctor, wrote in a note provided to media on Friday that the lesion was removed from Mr Biden’s chest on 16 February at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center outside Washington DC.

“No further treatment is required,” he said, adding that the area has “healed nicely” since the biopsy was taken.

The note said that the type of cancer found – basal cell carcinoma – does not normally spread, or metastasise.

Basal and squamous cell carcinoma are the two most common forms of skin cancer in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Diagnosed in 3.6 million Americans every year, it is the the most frequently occurring form of all cancers, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. It is slow-growing, curable and causes minimal damage if treated early.

Unlike melanoma – another type of common skin travel that can spread to other parts of the body – basal and squamous carcinoma “both can usually be cured, but they can be disfiguring and expensive to treat,” the CDC says.

In January, Mr Biden’s wife, First Lady Jill Biden, had three lesions removed, with two of them later testing positive for basal cell carcinoma.

Mr Biden has had several non-melanoma skin cancers removed in the past, before he became president.

In a 2021 summary of his health, Dr O’Connor wrote that the president’s lesions had been excised and “there are no areas suspicious for skin cancer at this time”.

Doctors advise that the best way to prevent skin cancer is to cover up and wear sunscreen lotion, even during winter.

The Bidens have long been strong advocates for fighting and curing cancer. Their adult son, Beau, died in 2015 from brain cancer.

Mr Biden is widely expected to announce that he will seek a second term in office.