Irritated Spot Removed From Reagan’s Nose

President Reagan had an irritated patch of skin removed from his nose by a dermatologist earlier this week, but tests indicated that the problem required no further treatment, the White House said Thursday.

The area, described by presidential spokesman Larry Speakes as a “spot,” a “place” and a “skin irritation,” was situated where adhesive tape had held down a tube inserted through the President’s nose and into his stomach after his surgery for colon cancer on July 13.

Speakes said there was no suggestion that the irritated patch could be evidence of skin cancer. He told reporters that the spot was being tested for malignancy, but later Thursday he issued a statement saying that it had been “submitted for routine studies for infection.”

“It was determined no further treatment is necessary,” the statement said.

Dermatologists who are not connected with the 74-year-old President’s case speculated that the bump most likely is a benign skin condition called angiofibroma, which is very common in persons older than 60 who have had even a moderate amount of sun exposure.

Torrent of Questions

But the episode immediately raised a torrent of questions, because Reagan is still recuperating from the colon surgery, performed at Bethesda Naval Medical Center, in which a malignant two-inch polyp and a two-foot section of his lower intestine were removed.

Dr. Thomas Rea, chairman of the dermatology section at USC School of Medicine, said the chance that the bump could be a spread of the colon cancer cells is “virtually nonexistent,” because it is extremely rare for colon cancer to spread to the skin.

“I’d say that the chances are less than you and I being struck by lightning today,” he said.

The latest procedure was performed Tuesday at the White House at Reagan’s request after T. Burton Smith, the President’s physician, asked whether he wished to have the spot removed, Speakes said. But he refused to identify the dermatologist involved.

Irritated by Tape

“It’s simply a spot, a place, an irritation--whatever--on his nose,” the White House spokesman said. “It was irritated by the tape. The President asked the doctor about it. The doctor said: ‘Do you want to have it removed?’ He said: ‘Yes.’ A fella came in, took it off, having a routine check on it, as simple as that.”

The area on the President’s nose had been irritated for months, but the tape had made the condition worse, Speakes said.

One Los Angeles dermatologist, who asked not to be identified, was among those who speculated that the removed skin was an angiofibroma.

“I would say that at least 50% of people over 60 who have had sun exposure develop this,” he said, adding that angiofibromas seldom grow back after being removed.

Could Be Benign Condition

The patch could also be a benign condition called seborrheic keratosis, also associated with advancing age, or actinic keratosis, a pre-malignant condition caused by sun damage, the skin specialists said.

USC dermatologist Rea said the irritation that Reagan experienced from the adhesive tape could indicate that the bump was caused by something more pathological.

One possibility, he said, is basal cell carcinoma, a skin cancer that has a cure rate “approaching 100%.” This type of skin cancer almost never spreads elsewhere in the body, he said.

Or, the irritated spot could have been another type of skin cancer known as squamous cell carcinoma, which also has a very high cure rate, according to the dermatologist. It rarely spreads from its original site, he said.

Blemish Noticed

Reporters were told of the procedure only after they had noticed what appeared to be a blemish on the right side of Reagan’s nose as he spoke to a group of religious broadcasters in the East Room of the White House Thursday.

Reagan had been seen by the media Tuesday, when he posed for photographs with his daughter Maureen, but the right side of his face had not been visible to photographers.

Although the President has returned to a near-normal schedule since his release from the hospital, Maureen Reagan said that he had agreed to forgo strenuous activities, such as chopping wood or riding horseback, when he vacations at his Santa Barbara ranch later this month.

Rudy Abramson reported from Washington and Harry Nelson from Los Angeles.