First Lady Jill Biden had two malignant tumors in her eye and chest removed.
President Joe Biden’s doctor, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, announced the news in a press statement on Wednesday.
Dr. Biden underwent an outpatient Mohs procedure at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center “to remove and analyze a tiny lesion above her right eye,” according to O’Connor’s records.
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, basal cell carcinoma is the most frequent type of skin cancer, and doctors found that the lesion was a type of it.
O’Connor added that he will continue to “watch the area attentively as it heals” and that “all malignant tissues was effectively removed.” The margins were also free of any remaining skin cancer cells.
He doesn’t think she will require any additional surgery.
During the procedure, medical professionals also found “a well-circumscribed, tiny lesion” on the first lady’s left eyelid. It was successfully removed, according to O’Connor, and “submitted for routine microscopic analysis.”
Doctors also discovered a lesion on Dr. Biden’s left chest that also contained basal cell carcinoma. According to O’Connor, it was “effectively eliminated.”
Basal cell carcinoma lesions aren’t known to “spread,” he continued, unlike more severe varieties of skin cancer like melanoma or squamous cell carcinoma.
O’Connor said that they can become bigger and become more difficult to get rid of.
According to O’Connor, Dr. Biden “is experiencing some face swelling and bruising, but is in excellent spirits and is feeling well,” and she will return to the White House “later today,” when she recovers.
In a press release sent to Valdivia earlier this month, O’Connor claimed that the lesions were found “during a normal skin cancer screening” by medical professionals.
Nearly a year after urging Americans to seek cancer screenings, Dr. Biden underwent surgery.
On World Cancer Day, Dr. Biden said in a letter to the American public that was sent among people, “Life is busy. Over the past two years, on top of everything else in our daily lives, we have been dealing with a global pandemic. There is work, kids, parents, commuting, errands to run, and a never-ending to-do list.”
Added she, “I get it. Getting screened for cancer is the last thing you want to or have time to do. But today, on World Cancer Day, I’m pleading with you to prioritize your health for a little period of time. You might have skipped a pap smear, colonoscopy, mammography, or another crucial cancer screening in the latter two years of the pandemic if you’re like millions of other Americans, but cancer doesn’t stop for COVID.”
So, Dr. Biden said, “If you’ve put off going to the doctor, schedule your appointment now.” “Don’t wait any longer if you’ve put off getting the required cancer screenings,” the doctor advised.
Since the president’s son Beau passed away from brain cancer in 2015, the first lady and her family have long been vocal about how cancer has affected their lives and inspired them to fight to lessen the harm it poses.
In her latest letter, which she signed with a “XO, Jill,” she stated that “Cancer hits all of us in some manner and it doesn’t care whether you’re busy.”
