A skin lesion was removed from the president’s chest, a White House doctor has confirmed three weeks after the procedure
FILE PHOTO: US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on his Cancer Moonshot Initiative in Boston, Massachusetts, September 12, 2022 © Scott Eisen / Getty Images
Joe Biden’s White House physician has revealed that doctors removed a cancerous skin lesion from the president’s chest three weeks ago. The tissue was discovered during a routine physical examination, after which Dr. Kevin O’Connor gave Biden a clean bill of health.
“As expected, the biopsy confirmed that the small lesion was basal cell carcinoma,” O’Connor said on Friday. “All cancerous tissue was successfully removed… No further treatment is required.”
Critics blasted the administration for an alleged lack of transparency on Biden’s health, also claiming that the 80-year-old Biden hasn’t proven mentally fit to serve as president. Former White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson, who served under presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama, argued last month that Biden’s medical report was a “cover-up.” Now a Republican congressman representing Texas, Jackson said that unlike Trump, Biden didn’t take a cognitive test to gauge his mental acuity.
O’Connor’s statement following last month’s physical exam noted that a small lesion on Biden’s chest was removed and sent for a biopsy. However, at the time, the doctor didn’t disclose that he expected the test to show that the tissue was cancerous.
“Basal cell carcinoma lesions do not tend to spread or metastasize, as some more serious skin cancers, such as melanoma or squamous cell carcinoma, are known to do,” O’Connor said in his latest statement. “They do, however, have the potential to increase in size, resulting in a more significant issue, as well as increased challenges for surgical removal.”
Biden had several non-melanoma skin cancers removed in the past, before taking office as president. O’Connor said he will continue “dermatologic surveillance” as part of Biden’s ongoing health care.
