Yesterday, the news that John McCain’s dermatologist removed a “mole-like” spot from the candidate’s cheek set off a round of wild speculation about the return of his skin cancer.  Today, the Mayo Clinic threw cold water on the fire, as noted in a McCain campaign release:

Michael Yardley, Chair of Public Affairs at the Mayo Clinic, today issued the following statement:

“Senator McCain visited the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, yesterday for a routine check of his dermatological health. The biopsy that was performed did not show any evidence of skin cancer. No further treatment is necessary.”

After having survived skin cancer, doctors will generally remove anything that looks remotely suspicious and have it tested.  The removal doesn’t automatically indicate a recurrence, and in this case the tissue was benign.