First lady Jill Biden had cancerous lesions removed from her skin: What to know about basal cell carcinoma

First lady Jill Biden on Wednesday had two small cancerous lesions removed.

Her physician found a lesion above her right eye during a routine exam, and recommended it be removed “in an abundance of caution,” according to a memo from White House physician Kevin O’Connor. On Wednesday morning, when she arrived at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for “Mohs surgery” to have it removed, doctors found another lesion, this time on her chest.

Both lesions were basal cell carcinoma and all cancerous tissue was removed, a statement from O’Connor on Wednesday afternoon read.

A small lesion identified on Biden’s left eyelid was removed and sent for evaluation.

Basal cell carcinoma is one of the most common types of skin cancer.

There are three main types of skin cancer: melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinomas.

About eight out of 10 skin cancer diagnoses — of which there are more than three million a year in the United States — are basal cell carcinoma, according to the American Cancer Society.

About 9,500 people die of skin cancer in the United States every year, roughly 7,500 of those from melanoma.

The major concern with skin cancer is that it will spread to other parts of the body through the lymphatic channels or the blood stream, said Jeffrey Farma, the interim chair of surgery at Fox Chase Cancer Center .

Basal cell carcinoma has a very low chance of spreading elsewhere in the body, he said. But regardless of type, early detection is better.

“If it’s identified early it just needs to be removed and it’s done,” Farma said, who is also co-director of Fox Chase’s melanoma and skin cancer program.

Farma urged people to “get to know their moles or their partner’s.”

“Knowing if a lesion is changing is exceedingly important,” in detecting potentially cancerous moles early, he said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends remembering the A-B-C-D-Es of melanoma:

If any apply to a mole or spot on your or your partner’s body, get it checked by a dermatologist.

People with a family history of skin cancer, a large number of moles, or who get sunburned easily should consider annual or biennial dermatologist visits starting in their 30s.

There are a few ways to handle a concerning mole.

It can be biopsied, removed with a scalpel, or frozen off with liquid nitrogen. The key to any removal of a mole or lesion is to ensure that all he abnormal cells are removed. That’s why often dermatologists remove a little bit of healthy skin to ensure they didn’t miss anything.

Another option that could be preferable in areas of sensitive skin where there isn’t a lot of extra tissue, such as the face, is to preform a procedure called Mohs surgery.

“If a [mole or lesion] was on your cheek, you don’t want to take a centimeter,” Farma said.

During Mohs surgery, instead of removing an entire area of skin, the dermatologist removes small parts of the skin and checks them under a microscope in real time. If the edge of the sample shows abnormal cells, the surgeon goes back to remove a little bit more. The process repeats itself until there are no more abnormal or cancerous cells.

Mohs surgery is an office procedure that is done with local anesthesia while the patient is awake, Farma said.

According to the White House physician’s memo, all cancerous tissue was successfully removed with the first lady’s lesions.

Even though abnormal cells can be detected early and removed to prevent cancer, there are ways to reduce the risk all together.

The best way to protect yourself is to limit sun exposure at times of the day when the sun is strongest and take precautions when outside, Farma said.

Farma recommend using sunscreen and remembering that there is sun exposure even on cloudy days or when skiing. Some clothing and hat materials also provide SPF protection. He advises against tanning beds.

“You don’t need to become a vampire and sit at home in the dark,” he said.