WASHINGTON — First Lady Jill Biden will have surgery next week to remove and examine a “small lesion” above her right eye after it was discovered during a skin cancer screening. White House doctor said.
It’s not clear if the lesions pose a health risk to Dr. Biden, but the outpatient treatment she receives is often used to treat skin cancer or remove potentially cancerous tissue. Dr. Kevin C. O’Connor, who was President Biden’s longtime personal physician before becoming a White House physician, said in a statement that doctors would “take great care” to examine lesions “conclusively.” He said he recommended removing it. .
Dr O’Connor added that doctors will provide an update after the operation, known as the Mohs Surgery, which will be performed at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center next Wednesday.
As the oldest president in American history, Mr. Biden has sought to assure the public that he is fit for public service, and the Biden White House has ordered routine checkups, minor surgeries, and other health conditions for the president and first lady. Updates have been published frequently.
Dr. Biden, now 71, underwent surgery to remove debris from a puncture wound in his left leg after stepping on an object while walking on a beach in Hawaii in 2021. The White House said the surgery was performed that day. announced.
Laura Bush, the wife of President George W. Bush, waited over a month before revealing that she had a malignant tumor in her right leg removed around the time of the November 2006 election. She won’t immediately disclose the diagnosis or the surgery to remove the cancer. President Ronald Reagan was also waiting to reveal that he had skin cancer in 1985. In 1985, after a cancerous growth in his nose was cleared, he developed a more serious type of colon cancer. Just one month after undergoing surgery to treat cancer.
Cancer is one of Dr. Biden’s areas of focus as First Lady. In 1993, after four of her friends were diagnosed with breast cancer, she founded her Biden Breast Health Initiative and traveled across the country seeking cancer screening and support for cancer patients and their families. rice field. The Bidens have spoken out about the pain of losing her son, Beau, to brain cancer, and Dr. Biden has joined her husband’s efforts to advance the “Moonshot” initiative to significantly reduce cancer deaths.