Gov. Kathy Hochul has been diagnosed with skin cancer.
Hochul, 66, announced Thursday she was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, “a tiny, tiny speck on my nose.” She said she would undergo a procedure Friday to surgically remove the cancer.
“You can’t even see it,” Hochul told reporters. “I’m gonna have a small removal procedure. I’m not going under. It’s a local anesthesia. It’ll be occurring Friday morning, I’ll be back to work about an hour later, but there will be a bandage on my nose.”
Hochul said she’s not the first person in her family to be diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma and encouraged people to get regular checkups.
Basal cell carcinoma is one of the most common types of skin cancer, and often develops on the head or neck after exposure to the sun, according to the Mayo Clinic.
“Most basal cell carcinomas are thought to be caused by long-term exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight,” the medical center says. “Avoiding the sun and using sunscreen may help protect against basal cell carcinoma.”
The cancer is often treated with surgery, including small procedures such as the one Hochul described. Basal cell carcinoma is only considered life-threatening if it’s allowed to fester and spread to other parts of the body.
Hochul is not the first notable name to be treated for basal cell carcinoma. Christie Brinkley, Rosie O’Donnell and Kevin Jonas all previously spoke publicly about their own diagnoses.
“The good news for me is we caught the basal cell carcinoma early,” Brinkley said in May. “The good news for you is that all of this can be avoided by being diligent with your sun protection!”
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