The first lady of the United States underwent surgery this Wednesday to remove two cancerous tumors on the first lady, and is now free of danger, the White House doctor announced.
Jill Biden, accompanied by President Joe Biden, flew in the presidential helicopter early this morning to Walter Reed National Medical Center in suburban Washington for the procedure known as Mohs surgery.
White House physician Kevin O’Connor said in a statement that Jill Biden had “facial swelling and postoperative bruising, but was in good spirits and feeling well,” so she will return to the White House later this Wednesday.
Doctors initially scheduled minor surgery to remove a lesion near her right eye and determine if it was cancerous.
“The procedure confirmed that the small lesion was basal cell carcinoma. All cancerous tissue was successfully removed and the margins were free of residual skin cancer cells,” O’Connor wrote.
“We will be watching this area closely as it heals, but we do not expect any further procedures to be necessary,” he added.
Doctors found another lesion on the left side of Jill Biden’s chest, which was also cancerous and removed using the same procedure, as well as another “small lesion” on the left eyelid which was completely removed.
O’Connor noted that basal cell carcinoma lesions “do not tend to spread or metastasize like some more serious skin cancers.”
The Mohs procedure is performed under local anesthesia and is considered very effective, if done early, in eradicating skin cancer formations.
Jill Biden, 71, is the oldest first lady in US history, while her husband, 80, is the oldest US president. Jill is believed to have an influential role within the White House and is believed to be a key player in the re-election bid – something Biden has indicated he will pursue but has yet to announce.
Cancer is a personal matter for Joe Biden, whose son Beau died of brain cancer in 2015. Reducing the cancer death rate is a “presidential priority”.
Source: DN
