Biden had cancerous lesion removed, no other treatment needed: Doctor

WASHINGTON

A skin lesion removed from US President Joe Biden's chest in February was a basal cell carcinoma, his physician said Friday.

The biopsy took place Feb. 16, and Dr. Kevin O'Connor said the results from the subsequent testing were "expected." No additional treatment is required, he wrote in a letter distributed by the White House.

"All cancerous skin tissue has been removed," wrote O'Connor. "The site of the biopsy has healed nicely and the president will continue dermatologic surveillance as part of his ongoing comprehensive healthcare."

The physician said basal cell carcinoma "do not tend to 'spread' or metastasize, as some more serious skin cancers such as melanoma or squamos cell carcinoma tend to do." But he noted they have the potential to grow, which can complicate surgeries to remove them.

O'Connor wrote in a Feb. 16 summary of the president's health that Biden had "several localized, non-melanoma skin cancers removed" before his January 2021 inauguration, and noted then that the president had a skin lesion removed and sent for testing.