Yahoo Finance President Biden Had Benign but 'Potentially Pre-Cancerous' Polyp Removed During Colonoscopy
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President Joe Biden is doing well after a routine colonoscopy.
This week, Biden's physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE that the 79-year-old politician had a single, three-millimeter polyp removed from his ascending colon during the procedure that took place last week.
O'Connor said that the growth was identified as tubular adenoma, a benign and slow-growing lesion, that is "thought to be potentially precancerous" after being sent for a histologic examination.
The specimen, O'Connor said, was "similar to the polyp" that Biden previously had removed in 2008.
O'Connor added that "no further action is required at this time" and recommended Biden remain under "routine surveillance." He also advised that the president repeat another colonoscopy in seven to 10 years.
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Last week, the White House announced that Biden was undergoing the "routine colonoscopy" at Walter Reed Medical Center.
"As was the case when President George W. Bush had the same procedure in 2002 and 2007 and following the process set out in the Constitution," Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement, "President Biden will transfer power to the vice president for the brief period of time when he is under anesthesia."
The occurrence made Vice President Kamala Harris the first woman to hold the power of the U.S. presidency.
After the procedure, and when the transfer of power ended, Psaki, 42, said in a tweet that Biden was in "good spirits" and spoke with Harris from the hospital.
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Biden also underwent his annual physical at Walter Reed Medical Center last week.
O'Connor — who has treated Biden since he became vice president in 2009 — wrote that "the president remains fit for duty, and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations."
According to his health summary released by the White House, Biden is being treated for several "stable" medical conditions including non-valvular atrial fibrillation, hyperlipidemia, gastroesophageal reflux, seasonal allergies, spinal arthritis, and "mild" sensory peripheral neuropathy of both feet.
"President Biden remains a healthy, vigorous 78-year-old male," O'Connor wrote in the report, which came days before his 79th birthday on Nov. 20.
