Jill Biden to have lesion removed after skin cancer screening
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The White House said Thursday that First Lady Jill Biden will have skin cancer surgery next week. The procedure is called Mohs surgery, an outpatient procedure, considered the best for skin cancers on the face.
Biden has a lesion above her right eye that will be removed with a procedure called Mohs surgery, according to a memo from the physician to the president.
"Mohs is the gold skin standard for skin cancer on the face," the head of dermatology surgery at Cooper Hospital Dr. Naomi Lawrence said. "So I was really happy to hear that that's what she was going to receive."
Lawrence says Mohs surgery is usually done with a local anesthetic to remove cancerous tissue one layer at a time as it's being analyzed microscopically.
"The surgeon actually acts both as the surgeon and as the pathologist so there's great continuity in the margin control," Lawrence said.
She says margin control is important "because cancers don't expand just like a blowing up of a balloon in a very predictable direction. They actually, think of them more like the roots of a tree."
She says Mohs is designed to remove cancer cells while preserving healthy tissue. The memo from the White House doctor says Biden's small lesion was found during a routine skin cancer screening. A spokesperson says doctors recommended it be removed "in an abundance of caution."
"Which shows how important you know preventative care can be. And sadly, now Medicare and many insurance's don't cover that sort of preventative care. So it's a little bit of a call to action to me," Lawrence said.
The American Cancer Society does not have guidelines for the early detection of skin cancer, but many doctors recommend checking your own skin regularly, or with a physician for people at high risk.
The White House says the 71-year-old first lady will have the surgery on Jan. 11 at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
"The fact that they're getting to it quickly is also quite good. And the cure rate with Mohs is 99%" Naomi said.
Doctors say most skin cancers are caused by sun exposure, best prevention is always wearing sunscreen even in the winter.