Former President Joe Biden was recently observed to have a bandage on his forehead covering a gash, reported The Daily Beast — and a spokesperson has confirmed it was from surgery to remove skin cancer.
"Biden, 82, received Mohs surgery, a spokesperson told the Daily Beast, a procedure in which thin layers of skin are cut away until no signs of cancer remain," reported Erkki Foster. This development "marks the newest health challenge for Biden, who is currently battling an aggressive form of prostate cancer."
That prostate cancer, which has spread to his bones and was announced earlier this year, sparked a flurry of renewed speculation about the former president's health while in office, as experts suggested he likely had the cancer for years prior for it to be in such an advanced state — although prostate cancer in early stages often has no or mild symptoms, leaving it to go unnoticed.
“Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support,” Biden wrote when the diagnosis was announced.
The former president initially sought re-election, but dropped out of the race after key party officials and a large chunk of the Democratic electorate lost confidence in his fitness for office following longstanding concerns about his age.
For much of his later career, Biden put intense focus on cancer research as a government priority, as he lost his elder son, Beau, to brain cancer, likely as a result of his exposure to toxic "burn pits" while on military deployment.
