President Joe Biden Had Cancerous Lesion Removed from Chest

Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images President Joe Biden

President Joe Biden had a cancerous lesion removed from his chest last month, according to a letter from his physician released Friday.

Dr. Kevin O'Connor, the official physician to the president, revealed that on February 16, during Biden's routine physical exam, a skin lesion was removed from the president's chest and sent in for biopsy.

"As expected, the biopsy confirmed that the small lesion was basal cell carcinoma," O'Connor wrote. "All cancerous tissue was successfully removed."

RELATED: President's Physician Says Joe Biden Is 'Healthy' and a 'Vigorous 80-Year-Old'

Getting ahead of questions, O'Connor explained in the letter that basal cell carcinoma lesions do not typically spread like more serious cancers do. "They do, however, have the potential to increase in size, resulting in a more significant issue as well as increased challenges for surgical removal," he added.

According to the letter, Biden, 80, will require no further treatment and the area that was biopsied has healed well. He will continue "dermatologic surveillance."

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AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Biden completed his anticipated physical exam in February, after which Dr. O'Connor reported that "President Biden remains a healthy, vigorous 80-year-old male who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency."

O'Connor noted that a small lesion was removed from Biden's chest, but did not have the results of the biopsy at the time to offer further information.

According to his health summary, Biden is currently undergoing treatment for multiple "stable" medical conditions that include non-valvular atrial fibrillation, hyperlipidemia, gastroesophageal reflux, seasonal allergies, "mild" sensory peripheral neuropathy of both feet, and his gate, which "remains stiff but has not worsened since last year."

His lab work, which included a comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP), urinalysis, complete blood count (CBC), and vitamin D and magnesium level check, returned normal.