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First lady Biden 'feeling well' after having two cancerous lesions removed, White House says

Biden, 71, had two lesions removed and examined that were found to contain basal cell carcinoma.

Published: January 12, 2023 8:54am

Updated: January 12, 2023 10:27am

First lady Jill Biden is "feeling well" after she had two cancerous lesions removed, while a third lesion on her left eyelid was sent for examination, according to Dr. Kevin O’Connor, President Joe Biden's physician.

"As anticipated, the First Lady is experiencing some facial swelling and bruising, but is in good spirits and is feeling well," O'Connor wrote Wednesday in a report about Jill Biden's procedure at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Biden, 71, had two lesions removed and examined that were found to contain basal cell carcinoma in a common outpatient operation known as Mohs surgery. One of the lesions was above her right eye and the other was on the left side of her chest, the doctor said. 

Officials identified third lesion on her left eyelid during surgical preparation and the questionable area was "fully excised" and sent to be examined, O'Connor said.

The first lady returned to the White House on Wednesday evening and was "doing well and in good spirits," Biden's press secretary, Vanessa Valdivia, said.

Basal cell carcinoma is one of the most common types of skin cancer and it can "usually be cured," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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