Biden undergoes skin cancer surgery, months after prostate cancer diagnosis

WASHINGTON — Former President Joe Biden recently underwent surgery to remove cancerous cells from his skin, his spokesperson confirmed to NBC News on Thursday.

Biden’s personal office said he is recovering well from the procedure known as Mohs surgery, which is often used to treat the most common forms of skin cancer. The procedure removes layers of cancerous skin tissue until no more cancerous cells remain.

It’s unclear exactly when Biden underwent the surgery. He was pictured leaving a church in Greenville, Delaware, late last month with a large, visible incision in his head.

Biden, 82, underwent surgery to remove cancerous skin cells during his term as president. In 2023, a cancerous skin lesion was removed from his chest during a routine physical exam, Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, said in a memo at the time.

A biopsy had revealed the lesion as basal cell carcinoma, one of the two most common forms of skin cancer, which is also treated using Mohs surgery.

Following the 2023 procedure, O’Connor wrote that “all cancerous tissue was successfully removed” and that “no further treatment is required.”

Former first lady Jill Biden similarly had a pair of cancerous skin lesions removed in 2023, one above her eye and the other on her chest, that were also identified as basal cell carcinoma.

Concerns about Biden’s health took center stage after his abysmal debate performance in June 2024. Several weeks later, he dropped his re-election bid.

Biden revealed in May that he had been diagnosed with a form of prostate cancer so aggressive that it had already metastasized to his bones. His office said at the time that he was pursuing several treatment options to ensure “effective management” of the illness and said his cancer appeared to be “hormone-sensitive,” which experts have noted suggests he will most likely respond to treatment.

Republicans and Democrats alike rallied around Biden when he revealed the diagnosis, with some championing him as a resilient and wishing him a swift recovery.

Soon after, though, the outpouring took a partisan turn, with President Donald Trump and some of his allies questioning whether Biden was aware of the cancer while he was in office and whether the diagnosis was concealed by any of his aides, including O’Connor.