By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN, M.D.

Along with his signature bright white hair, the most striking aspects of Senator John McCain’s physical appearance are his puffy left cheek and the scar that runs down the back of his neck.

The marks are cosmetic reminders of the melanoma surgery he underwent in August 2000. …

Mr. McCain has had four melanomas. …

The most serious melanoma was spotted on his temple in 2000 by the attending physician at the United States Capitol after it had escaped the eye of Mr. McCain’s personal physician at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale. (The Capitol physician also spotted another melanoma that was in situ.) …

In Mr. McCain’s case, the Mayo Clinic team of surgeons reconstructed the skin and soft tissue overlying the left temple, face and neck by pulling up skin to close the wound. …

Mr. McCain is occasionally asked on the campaign trail about his age. But he is almost never asked about his health.

On the Campaign Trail, Few Mentions of McCain’s Bout With Melanoma – New York Times