Joe Biden had cancerous skin lesion removed, White House says

US President Joe Biden had a cancerous skin lesion removed last month during a routine health screening, the White House has said.

All cancerous tissue was removed and no further treatment is required, Mr Biden's doctor said.

Mr Biden will continue dermatologic surveillance as part of his ongoing healthcare, the doctor added.

The president, 80, had a physical exam in February which the White House said found him healthy and "fit for duty".

Kevin O'Connor, Mr Biden's doctor, wrote in a note provided to media that the lesion was removed from Mr Biden's chest on 16 February.

"No further treatment is required," he said, adding that the area has "healed nicely" since the biopsy was taken.

The note said that the type of cancer found - basal cell carcinoma - does not normally tend to spread, or metastasise.

Basal and squamous cell carcinoma are the two most common forms of skin cancer in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Unlike melanoma - another type of common skin travel that can spread to other parts of the body - basal and squamous carcinoma "both can usually be cured, but they can be disfiguring and expensive to treat," the CDC says.

Mr Biden is widely expected to announce that he will seek a second term in office.