First lady Jill Biden walks out of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, as she and President Joe Biden prepare to board Marine One. The White House says surgeons have removed a cancerous lesion above first lady Jill Biden’s right eye and one on her chest, and that a third lesion on her left eyelid is being examined. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
First lady Jill Biden underwent Mohs surgery today to have cancerous skin lesions removed.
The lesions, one of which was located above the first lady's right eye and another newly discovered one on her chest, were detected during a routine skin cancer screening a week ago.
The procedure involves multiple rounds if cancer cells are detected in the removed skin. Typically a doctor will slice off a thin layer of skin from the lesion and analyze it under a microscope. Once it is determined that cancer cells are present, the procedure is repeated until the area is completely free of cancerous cells.
Dr. Kevin O'Connor, President Joe Biden's personal physician, confirmed that Dr. Biden's lesions were basal cell cancer — the most common type of skin cancer, which is typically treatable in its early stages.
President Biden accompanied his wife to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where the surgery was performed.
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