First Lady Had Tumor Removed Last Month

President Bush and first lady Laura Bush take part in a Menorah lighting during a Hanukkah celebration at the White House in Washington, Monday, Dec. 18, 2006. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) (Charles Dharapak - AP)

First lady Laura Bush had a skin tumor removed from her right shin in early November. The procedure was not disclosed until last night.

The cancer was identified as a squamous cell carcinoma, a malignant tumor that is the second most common form of skin cancer.

Explaining why the procedure was not disclosed until now, Susan Whitson, the first lady's press secretary, said: "This medical procedure was a private matter for Mrs. Bush, but when asked by the media today, we answered the question."

The first lady was noted wearing a bandage on her right leg before the Nov. 7 elections. At the time, Whitson said Bush had a sore on her shin.

In late October, Bush had a biopsy because the sore was not healing, Whitson said, and it was determined to be a squamous cell carcinoma. That type of skin cancer affects the middle layer of the skin. It is more aggressive than basal cell cancer, the most common form of skin cancer. Squamous cell cancer is more likely than basal cell cancer to spread to other locations.

Whitson said Bush's tumor was removed under a local anesthetic. She called it "a little surgical procedure" and said: "It's no big deal. She detected it early. She caught it early." No further treatment was needed.

In 2001, President Bush had four lesions removed from his face, including two caused by a common skin ailment that can lead to cancer if left untreated. None of the four was cancerous, the White House said.