Jill Biden Is in 'Good Spirits' After Having Skin Cancer Lesions Removed from Above Her Eye and Chest

Jill Biden
Jill Biden
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Anna Moneymaker/Getty Jill Biden

Two cancerous lesions have been removed from First Lady Jill Biden's eye and chest.

On Wednesday, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, physician to President Joe Biden shared the news in a release.

Per O'Connor's notes, Dr. Biden had the outpatient Mohs surgery at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center "to remove and examine a small lesion above her right eye."

Doctors determined that the lesion was a form of basal cell carcinoma, which is the most common kind of skin cancer, per the Skin Cancer Foundation.

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"All cancerous tissues was successfully removed, and the margins were clear of any residual skin cancer cells," said O'Connor, adding that he will continue to "monitor the area closely as it heals."

He does not believe she will need further surgery.

While the first lady was having the operation, doctors also noticed "a well-circumscribed, small lesion" on her left eyelid. They were able to successfully remove it and it "was sent for standard microscopic examination," said O'Connor.

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In addition, doctors found a lesion on the left side of Dr. Biden's chest, which also contained basal cell carcinoma. It was "successfully removed," O'Connor said.

He added that lesions that have basal cell carcinoma aren't known to "spread" like more dangerous types of skin cancer like melanoma or squamous cell carcinoma.

However, they can get bigger which can make them harder to remove, said O'Connor.

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As she recovers, Dr. Biden "is experiencing some facial swelling and bruising, but is in good spirits and is feeling well," said O'Connor, adding that she's going back home to the White House "later today."

Earlier this month, O'Connor said in a release shared with Valdivia that doctors discovered the lesions "during a routine skin cancer screening."

Dr. Biden's surgery comes nearly a year after she urged Americans to get cancer screenings.

In a message to the American public that was shared with people, Dr. Biden wrote on World Cancer Day, "Life is hectic. There's work, kids, parents, commuting, errands to run, a never-ending to-do list — and for the past two years we've been dealing with a global pandemic on top of everything else in our daily lives."

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She added, "I get it. The last thing you have time for, or want to do, is get your cancer screenings. But today, on World Cancer Day, I'm asking you to put your health first, just for a moment. If you're like millions of other Americans, you may have missed a pap smear, colonoscopy, mammogram, or another critical cancer screening in the last two years of the pandemic — but cancer doesn't stop for COVID."

"So, if you've put off going to the doctor, schedule your appointment today," Dr. Biden urged. "If you've put off your recommended cancer screenings, don't delay them any longer."

The issue is personal for the first lady and her family, and they have long spoken publicly about how cancer has darkened their lives — the president's son Beau died of brain cancer in 2015 — while motivating them to work toward reducing its threat.

"Cancer touches all of us in some way and it doesn't care if you're busy," she wrote in her new message, signed with an "XO, Jill."