WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Former U.S. President Joe Biden recently underwent surgery to remove cancerous cells from his skin, a spokesperson for the Democrat said on Friday. The procedure, known as Mohs surgery, is commonly used to treat the most common forms of skin cancer. The surgery comes just months after Biden, 82, revealed in May that […]
Politics
Biden had surgery to remove cancerous cells, spokesperson says
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Former U.S. President Joe Biden recently underwent surgery to remove cancerous cells from his skin, a spokesperson for the Democrat said on Friday.
The procedure, known as Mohs surgery, is commonly used to treat the most common forms of skin cancer.
The surgery comes just months after Biden, 82, revealed in May that he had been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer. His team described the illness as aggressive but hormone-sensitive, meaning it is likely to respond to treatment.
Biden previously had a skin lesion removed during a routine physical in 2023 while serving as president. That lesion was identified as basal cell carcinoma.
Biden’s physical health and mental acuity were frequent topics of scrutiny during his presidency. He abruptly ended his bid for re-election in July 2024, just weeks after a faltering debate performance against Donald Trump triggered widespread concern within the Democratic Party.
Biden was the oldest person ever elected president at the time of his 2020 victory. That record was surpassed last year when Trump, now 79, was elected president.
Since leaving office, Biden has kept a relatively low profile, making only a few public appearances. In April, he delivered a speech defending the Social Security Administration against proposed cuts from the Trump administration.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose, Jasper Ward and Steve Holland; editing by Scott Malone and Himani Sarkar)