The Breakdown: How common is President Biden’s diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma?

Today the White House revealed the President Joe Biden had a skin lesion removed from his chest in mid-February. It turned out to be cancerous basal cell carcinoma. But what is basal cell carcinoma and how common is it? We're going to take a look in your breakdown. The Skin Cancer Foundation says basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer. More than 3.6 million cases are diagnosed every year. BCC is typically caused by sun damage and shows up as strange patches or growths that vary from person to person.

The Cleveland Clinic says it's most common in men over 50 with fair skin and light eyes. In a press release, Biden's physician Dr. Kevin O'Connor wrote that basal cell carcinoma lesions don't tend to spread or get worse but can increase in size if they're not caught. Typically the treatment is just removing the cancerous area and some healthy skin around it. In the President's case Dr. O'Connor says all cancer was removed from the President and the biopsy site has healed nicely. While it's unlikely BCC will spread to other parts of your body, if it's not treated it can invade deeper tissues like muscle and bone.

The best way to stay healthy is to keep an eye out for any new lumps or lesions on your skin, stay out of direct sun exposure or tanning beds and wear your sunscreen.

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