Former President Joe Biden recently underwent surgery to remove skin cancer lesions and has been left with a large scar on his forehead, his office says.
Biden’s representative, Kelly Scully, confirmed that the 82-year-old received Mohs surgery, which involves removing layers of cancerous skin cells, after Inside Edition broadcast the Democrat leaving a church in Delaware on Sunday with a bandage stretching several inches long above his right eye.
Scully did not disclose when Biden underwent the procedure or what type of skin cancer was removed.
On Saturday evening, Biden was spotted in a local ice cream shop with a baseball cap that might have covered the wound. Last month, the former president was seen attending the funeral of former Delaware governor and congressman Mike Castle with a bandage on his head, according to Fox News.
It marks the latest development in Biden’s health struggles after his office revealed in May that he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones.
While Biden was still eyeing another term in the White House, a prostate nodule was found after he had been seen by doctors for urinary symptoms, his office said. He was subsequently diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer, which had metastasized and was given a Gleason score of nine.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,” his office said on May 18.
A day later, Biden said in a statement: “Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places.”
The Biden family has faced cancer repeatedly over the years. Biden’s son Beau died of a brain tumor in 2015, and his wife, Jill, has had two cancerous lesions removed.
In November 2021, Biden had a polyp removed from his colon that was a benign but potentially pre-cancerous lesion.
In 2022, the then-president made a “cancer moonshot” one of his administration's priorities, attempting to halve the cancer death rate over the next 25 years. The initiative was a continuation of his work as vice president to address a disease that had killed his older son, Beau.
Biden had a skin lesion, a basal cell carcinoma, removed from his chest in February 2023.
As he vied for reelection in 2024, Biden’s physical and mental health became a major concern for voters.
Biden, who would have been 86 years old by the time he finished another term, was described by his physician in February 2024 as a “healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency.”
His medical conditions, including a-fib, hyperlipidemia, gastroesophageal reflux, seasonal allergies, spinal arthritis and sensory peripheral neuropathy in both feet, “remain stable and well-controlled,” the physician said.
Questions compounded over Biden’s mental acuity last June when he took on Donald Trump in their first televised debate, which saw the 81-year-old stumbling over his words, losing his train of thought and, at points, freezing altogether.
A snap poll conducted by CBS and YouGov after the debate also showed that less than 30 percent thought Biden should be in the 2024 presidential race.
On July 21, 2024, Biden withdrew from the race, being succeeded by Democratic candidate then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump at the ballot box in November.
