The common outpatient procedure known as Mohs surgery will be performed on Wednesday, January 11, at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Jill Biden, the wife of President Joe Biden, will undergo surgery next week after she was found to have a lesion during a routine skin cancer checkup.
“During a routine skin cancer checkup, a small lesion was detected over the First Lady’s right eye,” the president’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, said in a memo.
The Bidens’ primary care physician added that the surgery scheduled for next week will be performed out of an abundance of caution given the finding of the injury.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the doctors have recommended that [the lesion] be removed,” the doctor explained.
During a routine skin cancer screening, a small lesion was found above the First Lady’s right eye. Memo here from Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Physician to the President, with more information on the First Lady’s upcoming outpatient procedure to have it removed and examined. pic.twitter.com/DIQrnjtZFc
— Vanessa Valdivia (@vvaldivia46) January 4, 2023
The medical intervention that Jill Bien will undergo will be carried out at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and will be outpatient, so she is expected to be discharged that same day.
“On Wednesday, January 11, at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the First Lady will undergo a common outpatient procedure known as Mohs surgery to remove and definitively examine the tissue,” O’Connor added.
O’Connor promised to keep the Office of the First Lady informed of any changes in the 71-year-old’s condition or treatment plan.
What is Mohos surgery?
Mohs surgery, according to the Mayo Clinic, involves cutting thin layers of skin to detect any signs of cancer. The area that is treated during Mohs surgery is numbed and most patients can go home after the procedure and do not require hospitalization.
According to the clinic, the goal of Mohs surgery is to remove all of the skin cancer without harming the surrounding healthy skin. This intervention allows the surgeon to be sure that all the cancer has disappeared. In this way, the cancer is more likely to be cured. Reduces the need for other treatments or more surgical interventions.