McCain has mole-like skin removed

July 28, 2008 ABC News' Bret Hovell Reports: John McCain had a small piece of mole-like skin removed from his right temple this morning at a regularly scheduled dermatological checkup in Phoenix.

"It was just a precautionary measure," a campaign aide said when she told reporters about the procedure aboard McCain's plane.

McCain can be seen wearing a bandage on that spot.

The aide said that it was "nothing that looked in any way cancerous."

John McCain is a four-time survivor of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. In 2000 he had a spot on his left temple removed along with more than thirty lymph nodes on the left side of his face and neck. The procedure was successful, but left McCain with a large scar running the length of his face.

McCain has been cancer free since 2002.

McCain sees his dermatologist every three months for screenings. Today's visit in Phoenix was one of them. The campaign aide said that the doctor was not concerned by the lesion that had to be removed.

The aide was unable to describe to reporters whether any pathology studies had been conducted on the removed skin.