(Updates with details on type of cancer)

WASHINGTON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - First lady Laura Bush was treated for the second most common type of skin cancer on her leg last month, her spokeswoman said on Monday.

Mrs. Bush did not appear to have difficulty walking at a Hanukkah reception at the White House on Monday but a bandage was visible below her right knee.

Mrs. Bush had a biopsy of a small sore on her leg in late October, revealing a squamous cell carcinoma, the second most common type of skin cancer, Susan Whitson, spokeswoman for the first lady, told Reuters.

Mrs. Bush had the small growth removed from the shin area of her right leg shortly after Election Day, which was Nov. 7, and before she and President George W. Bush went to Asia later that month, Whitson said.

"Because of Mrs. Bush's early detection and treatment, the area on her leg is healing well and it has not interrupted her schedule," she said.

There are more than 200,000 new cases of squamous cell carcinoma, called SCC, per year estimated in the United States, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation Web site.

"Most SCCs are not serious. When identified early and treated promptly, the future is bright. However, if overlooked, they are harder to treat and can cause disfigurement," the Skin Cancer Foundation said.

Chronic overexposure to the sun is the main cause of nearly all cases of this type of skin cancer, which in 96 percent to 97 percent of the cases is localized and has not spread, the Foundation said.

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