Cliff Notes
- Former US President Joe Biden underwent Mohs surgery for skin cancer, with recovery reported as progressing well.
- He was previously treated for basal cell carcinoma in 2023 and disclosed having stage-four prostate cancer, identified during a doctor’s visit for urinary symptoms.
- Biden’s prostate cancer, deemed aggressive, is hormone-sensitive, offering potential for effective treatment options.
Joe Biden has skin cancer surgery – months after ‘aggressive’ prostate cancer diagnosis
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Former US president Joe Biden has had surgery for skin cancer, his spokesperson has said.
It’s unclear when he had the procedure, but video from late August showed him leaving church in Delaware with a large, fresh scar on his head.
The spokesperson told Sky’s US partner, NBC News, that he was recovering well.
Mr Biden had Mohs surgery, which involves removing a layer of tissue, examining it under a microscope to see if any cancer cells remain, and repeating if necessary.
The 82-year had a basal cell carcinoma, one of the two most common skin cancer types, removed from his chest in 2023.
His doctor said at the time that all the cancerous cells had been removed.
The same year, Mr Biden’s wife, Jill, had two basal cell carcinomas removed from near her eye and on her chest.
The former president also revealed this May that he had stage-four prostate cancer – with the disease having spread to his bones and having a Gleason score of nine.
Such a score means the disease is “likely to grow quickly”, according to Cancer Research UK.
His office said the prostate cancer was discovered when Mr Biden visited a doctor for urinary symptoms and that he was considering “multiple treatment options”.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,” said a statement.