Jill Biden Has Cancerous Skin Lesions Removed

First lady is in 'good spirits and feeling well' after surgery, doctor says
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jan 11, 2023 5:04 PM CST
Jill Biden Has Cancerous Skin Lesions Removed
First lady Jill Biden walks out of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, as she and President Biden prepare to board Marine One.   (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Surgeons removed a cancerous lesion above first lady Jill Biden's right eye Wednesday, as well as another cancerous lesion on her chest, the White House said, while a third lesion on her left eyelid was being examined. Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the president’s physician, said examinations showed that the lesion over Biden's left eye and one newly discovered on her chest were both confirmed to be basal cell carcinoma. The lesion on her right eye was “fully excised, with margins, and was sent for standard microscopic examination," he said.

Biden and her husband, President Biden, spent the day at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, while she underwent the scheduled outpatient procedure known as Mohs surgery to remove and examine the lesions, the AP reports. O'Connor said the first lady was “experiencing some facial swelling and bruising, but is in good spirits and is feeling well." She was expected to return to the White House Wednesday evening.

Her office announced a week ago that doctors had discovered a lesion during a recent routine skin cancer screening. That surgery involves cutting away thin layers of skin and examining each layer for signs of cancer, according to a fact sheet from the Mayo Clinic. Doctors keep removing layers of skin and examining them until there are no signs of cancer. The procedure takes less than four hours for most people, and they can go home afterward. Doctors recommended removing the lesion from the 71-year-old first lady "in an abundance of caution," O'Connor wrote in a memo last week. (More Jill Biden stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X