Joe Biden recovers from colonoscopy with a ‘very low grade polyp’

Former Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday underwent a colonoscopy, during which a polyp measuring less than a third of an inch was found. The polyp, which was removed during the procedure, was deemed to be benign and would not come back after medical exams. Doctors told the New York Times that Biden may have dodged a cancer diagnosis. “I’ve heard speculation that if the polyp was removed during a regular colonoscopy that it might have been deemed cancerous,” Dr. Jennifer Litton, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, told the Times. “The polyp was a very low grade polyp on the colonoscopy. I would not have missed it.”

Biden confirmed the procedure, which was performed by Dr. Omar Mezni at Johns Hopkins University, in a press release Friday afternoon. “I’m grateful for the high-quality, compassionate care I received at Johns Hopkins — from the physicians to the nurse practitioners to the volunteer who helped me recover at the end of the day,” he said in the statement. “After the procedure, I was feeling relieved that I had nothing that couldn’t be treated by a normal healthy diet and exercise. I’m glad my care was taken care of by world-class physicians here in Baltimore and I’m happy to have a clean bill of health.”

Biden’s doctors are recommending that he do a periodic colonoscopy for the next five years. As the Times noted, in October a biopsy of Biden’s prostate confirmed that he did not have cancer. In April the 67-year-old also finished months of treatment for Myelodysplastic Syndrome, a blood disorder that is part of the underlying cause of his cancer-free status.

Read the full story at The New York Times.

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