SALEM — Gov. John Kitzhaber will soon undergo removal of a basal-cell carcinoma from his face.

He said he had undergone a biopsy that confirmed the carcinoma, a form of skin cancer, “and I am looking forward to having it carved out.”

Such cancers usually occur after excessive exposure to the outdoors and the sun.

Kitzhaber, who turns 68 in March, underwent a similar procedure on the right side of his nose in May 2000.