Doctors removed skin cancer from US President Joe Biden. It was a basal cell carcinoma, said Kevin O’Connor, the president’s personal physician, in a letter to the White House on Friday. The cancer was removed at the President’s annual health exam on February 16. Tissue tests have now confirmed the suspicion of cancer.
The affected tissue had been completely eliminated, no further treatment was necessary, the letter said. Unlike other types of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma does not usually metastasize. The wound has now healed. The President will continue to be dermatologically monitored as part of his comprehensive health care.
According to the German Cancer Society, basal cell carcinomas are also referred to as white or light skin cancer. In Central Europe they are the most common malignant tumors of all. The death rate is – unlike black skin cancer and many other types of cancer – low, according to the website of the German Cancer Society.
At 80, Biden is the oldest sitting president in US history. His age has always been the subject of heated debates, not just among Biden’s political opponents. He is still expected to stand for re-election in 2024. At the beginning of a possible second term, he would be 82 years old.
