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according to the washington post , doctors reported that one lesion above her right eye was basal cell carcinoma, as was the other which was found on the left side of her chest. the third lesion, on biden’s left eyelid, was also removed and sent for testing — doctors concluded that it was unlikely to be cancerous. she was doing well, despite some facial swelling and bruising, said presidential physician kevin o’connor in a statement.
update from dr. kevin o’connor, physician to the president, following the first lady’s mohs surgery today: pic.twitter.com/2dxydcceeq
— vanessa valdivia (@vvaldivia46) january 11, 2023
mohs surgery is a specific form of micrographic surgery that’s used to treat cancer or other skin issues on the face. when cancer is internal, surgery usually involves removing both the visible cancer and small amounts of the healthy tissue that surrounds it. but mohs is more precise, removing thin layers of skin one at a time. the goal, according to the mayo clinic , is to cause minimal damage to the surrounding tissue while still removing all of the cancerous skin. it’s generally used on areas of the skin where it’s important to keep as much healthy tissue as possible, such as the face.
first, the area being operated on will be numbed, so that the patient doesn’t feel pain — they are awake during the procedure. one layer of skin will be removed and analyzed, and then frozen, sliced, and analyzed under a microscope, npr news explains. if cancer or other abnormal cells are detected, the process will be repeated until the only skin left is healthy.
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skin cancer is very common. more than 80,000 cases are diagnosed in canada every year, according to the canadian skin cancer foundation (cscf). the majority of skin cancer cases are basal cell carcinomas, which rarely spread, but can become large enough to cause disfigurement and serious enough to cause blindness, the cscf says. when diagnosed and treated early, though, the recovery rates are very good.
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