Nose ‘Pimple’ a Skin Cancer, Reagan Says

President Reagan told reporters today that a pimple removed from the side of his nose last week turned out to be skin cancer, a “basal cell carcinoma,” the most common form of cancer and one that requires no further treatment.

It was caused by overexposure to the sun, which Reagan said he must avoid from now on.

Reagan, who spoke at an informal news conference in the Oval Office, went into extraordinary detail in discussing the “pimple,” which he said had been aggravated by tape used to hold a tube in his nose after his major cancer surgery last month.

The thickened patch of skin was removed by a dermatologist last week, and there was considerable confusion about whether it was being tested for cancer at all, thanks in part to a White House news blackout after a statement by presidential spokesman Larry Speakes that a biopsy was being conducted and by First Lady Nancy Reagan’s swiftly denying it.

Not Told Till Weekend

Reagan, 74, said that past statements about the blemish were based on the best available knowledge and that it was not until the weekend that he was told that it was a mild form of cancer.

The condition is usually treated with minor surgery, and Reagan said that no further medical attention was called for but that “now I’m told that I must not expose myself to the sun.” He urged Americans to be cautious in exposing themselves to the dangers of pursuing a perfect tan.

The President, who had a cancerous tumor and a section of his large intestine removed July 13, sat throughout the nearly half-hour meeting with reporters.

Became Inflamed

Reagan said the blemish on his nose had been bothering him for some time and--ignoring time-honored advice--he had succumbed to scratching at it. The blemish became inflamed, a condition made worse by his allergy to adhesive tape, which was used to hold a naso-gastric tube in place during and after his abdominal surgery.

“When finally they took it off and removed the tube . . . my little friend that I had played with began to come back,” the President said of the patch.

Reagan, who noted that “Nancy had one” removed in December, 1982, said doctors told him that the condition was caused by too much sun.