The President of the United States, Joe Biden, underwent surgery on February 16 for a skin lesion on his chest that turned out to be a carcinoma and which concluded successfully, the White House reported this Friday.
According to the statement from the White House doctor, Kevin O’Connor, the intervention occurred the day Biden had his medical examination. At the time, the White House said the president was in “good health” and “fit” to perform his duties.
This Friday’s statement explains that that day at the Walter Reed military medical center Biden had a “skin lesion” removed from his chest. The removed tissue was biopsied and “as expected” contained carcinoma cells.
All the cancerous tissue was removed “successfully”, according to the president’s doctor, who also explained that the entire affected area has been treated with “electrodesiccation”, which consists of drying the tissues with high frequency. “No further treatment is necessary,” the statement added.
The doctor stressed in this report provided by the White House that basal cell carcinoma lesions “do not tend to spread or cause metastasis” as is the case with “more serious” cases of skin cancer such as melanoma or squamous skin carcinomas.
However, he admitted that this type of cancerous lesion can grow in size and generate more significant problems that require intervention beyond surgical removal.
The area that was subjected to the biopsy has “healed well” according to the medical report, which adds that future medical check-ups will include dermatological examinations.
“A Healthy 80-Year-Old Man”
The White House reported this intervention fifteen days after it occurred. At that time, which was the day that Biden officially underwent a medical examination, the White House did not report this removal or the biopsy of the tissues that showed the carcinoma.
“President Biden is a healthy, vigorous 80-year-old man, and apt to successfully carry out the duties of the Presidency, including the tasks of Chief Executive, Head of State, and Commander-in-Chief,” he said, in his report dated April 16. February, Kevin O’Connor.
Biden, the longest-serving president in the history of the United States, underwent physical, neurological, dental and vision examinations on that day, in addition to gastrointestinal tests.
In the report, O’Connor mentioned the president’s mild acid reflux problems, which require him to clear his throat more frequently when he is speaking or cause him to cough, symptoms that are accentuated after meals.
The doctor also mentioned then that Biden suffers from arthritis and that the fracture that was made in 2020 in one foot makes him walk rigidly.
Finally, as O’Connor said at the time, “a detailed neurological examination” was carried out, which showed that Biden has not suffered from any disorder in recent months, such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s or stroke.
