Biden Had Cancerous Skin Lesion Successfully Removed: White House Doctor

President Joe Biden speaks during the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference at the Hyatt Regency Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Md., on March 1, 2023. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

The physician to President Joe Biden, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, said on March 3 that the president had a basal cell carcinoma skin lesion removed from his chest last month.

The lesion was removed as part of his comprehensive health assessment on Feb. 16 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, according to a letter from O'Connor.

The tissue was sent for a traditional biopsy, and the results confirmed that the small lesion was basal cell carcinoma.

The cancerous tissue was successfully removed, and the area around the biopsy site was treated presumptively with electrodessication and curettage at the time of biopsy, and no further treatment is required, O’Connor said.

The site of the biopsy has reportedly healed well, and the president will continue to receive dermatologic surveillance as part of his ongoing comprehensive health care.

Biden’s son Beau died from brain cancer in 2015 at the age of 46. Since then, the president has been clear that the fight to eradicate cancer is personal to him. Throughout both his campaign and office, the president has made the fight against cancer a priority.

In February 2021, Biden relaunched the Cancer Moonshot initiative, with the objective of halving cancer deaths over the next 25 years and improving the lives of caregivers and cancer survivors. As vice president, Biden oversaw the original efforts during the last years of the Obama administration.

The report on the removal of the lesion came as a result of Biden’s first physical in 15 months, according to The Hill.

The physician stated that Biden’s nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, also known as an A-fib, test results for hyperlipidemia and gastric reflux are all “stable.”

After the visit, O'Connor said that Biden “remains a healthy, vigorous, 80-year-old male” who was capable of performing the responsibilities of the president.

In the coming two years, the president’s health is likely to come under scrutiny, as he is anticipated to seek reelection.

If he were to win reelection, Biden would be 82 at the start of a second term, and Republicans have long questioned whether he is physically and psychologically capable of performing the job.

Some Republicans, including 2024 Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, have suggested that cognitive testing should be required for some of the more senior lawmakers in Washington.