Joe Biden may have put himself at increased risk of a deadly skin cancer after getting sunburned while on his New Year’s vacation, experts say.
The president, 81, was pictured Tuesday with ‘lobster-red’ skin as he returned from a week’s vacation at a $3million private villa in St Croix, the American Virgin Islands.
While a one-time sunburn is unlikely to develop into the deadly skin cancer melanoma, Biden has a history of cancerous lesions on his body — with repeated sunburns raising the risk of different types of skin cancers.
In February 2023, the president had a lesion of basal cell carcinoma — a type of skin cancer — removed and he has suffered several other bouts of the cancer before 2021.
Dr Anisha Patel, a dermatologist at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, warned damage to the president’s skin from the sun’s rays increased the risk of melanoma — a skin cancer that only 30 percent of patients survive if caught in late stages.
President Joe Biden sported a bright red sunburn as he returned from his vacation in St. Croix over the holiday season. Dermatologists warn this may raise his risk of skin cancer
The president’s sunburn was notable following his treatment for skin cancer in February 2023, where he had a basal cell carcinoma removed from his chest
Speaking to DailyMail.com, she said: ‘Sunburn increases the risk for skin cancer in general — including melanoma — because of the UV exposure.
‘The fact he had basal cell carcinoma indicates there is enough UV damage to cause skin cancer.’
However, she added: ‘[The fact] he hasn’t had a melanoma so far is significant — and a good sign.
‘As you age, you are at increased risk of all cancers because our DNA repair mechanisms don’t work as well.
‘So, if he has gotten this far without melanoma then his genetic risk factors are low — I see patients in their 20s, 30s and 40s with this skin cancer.’
Dr Deborah Sarnoff, the president of the Skin Cancer Foundation, told DailyMail.com just five sunburns double the risk of developing melanoma.
And a 2023 study found people who have had basal cell carcinoma have a six-fold increased risk of developing melanoma than those who have not had the disease.
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer and the most common type of cancer overall in the US, with 5.4million people diagnosed annually.
It typically develops in places that are frequently exposed to the sun, where damage accumulates over time.
It forms when cells in the upper layer of the skin start to divide uncontrollably and form a translucent pink patch that may itch or be painful.
The above shows cases of the skin cancer basal cell carcinoma by age group recorded in a study. The label nBCC refers to basal cell carcinomas of the neck and head, while the label sBCC refers to those on the trunk. Joe Biden had one on his trunk in his late 70s
The above shows diagnosis rates for melanoma, a deadly type of skin cancer, based on age. They peak among men around age 70 to 75, data shows, before decreasing
President Biden had the lesion removed from his chest during his physical – above Biden on the beach in May 2009
Dermatologists treat the cancer through surgery to remove the growth, which is nearly always successful. The cancer has a survival rate of more than 99 percent.
Melanoma is a much less common form of cancer, however, behind one percent of cases annually and involving cells that make pigment in the skin.
Like basal cell carcinoma, the risk of melanoma is also increased by sunburn, which can damage DNA inside cells.
Warning signs of the disease include changes to an existing mole, such as it turning red or changing shape.
If melanoma is caught in the early stages, almost all patients survive.
But if it is not detected until it has spread to the lymph nodes, this drops to 72 percent of patients surviving five years after diagnosis.
If it is not detected until it has reached another organ, only 32 percent of patients survive.
Biden was treated for non-melanoma skin cancer — which includes basal cell carcinoma — several times before 2021, the White House physician has said, adding all cancerous spots were removed with clean margins.
He was also treated for a basal cell carcinoma on his chest in February 2023, which was removed via surgery.
His doctor said the site of the operation had ‘healed nicely’ and the president would get routine check-ups of his skin for cancers.
People who have had basal cell carcinoma are told to see their dermatologist for a check every six to 12 months.
WHAT IS BASAL CELL CARCINOMA?
Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a type of non-melanoma skin cancer.
Non-melanoma means it does not involve skin pigment cells.
BCC often appears as scabs that bleed
BCC makes up more than 80 per cent of all forms of skin cancer in the UK and US.
About 5.4 million basal and squamous cell skin cancers are diagnosed each year in the US and around 100,000 in the UK.
It is mainly caused by overexposure to UV light from the sun or tanning beds.
BCC can occur anywhere on the body but is most common on areas exposed to the sun, such as the face, neck and ears.
The following people are most at risk:
- People with fair skin or hair
- Those who work outdoors
- People who use sunbeds
- Those with a personal history of the condition
BCC is usually painless. Early symptoms often only include a scab that bleeds occasionally and does not heal.
Some appear as flat, red, scaly marks or have a pearl-like rim. The latter can then erode into a ulcer.
Others are lumpy with shiny nodules crossed by blood vessels.
Most BCCs can be cured, however, treatment is complex if they are left for a long time.
Treatment usually involves removing the cancerous tumour and some of the surrounding skin.
Source: British Skin Foundation and NHS Choices
