Biden Diagnosed With ‘Aggressive’ Form of Prostate Cancer
The former president had recently been stepping back into the spotlight just as a new book is set to be released detailing his diminished physical capacities.
President Biden has been diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer, which has already metastasized and spread to his bones, his office said on Sunday. The Biden family says they are reviewing treatment options for the disease.
Mr. Biden has long made cancer research a key priority of his time in public service, especially after his eldest son, Beau Biden, succumbed to brain cancer in 2015.
“Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms,” the former president’s personal office said on Sunday afternoon.
“On Friday he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone,” the office says.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management. The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians,” they added.
The prognosis for Mr. Biden is serious, based on current expectations in the medical community. Gleason scores only range from six to ten, meaning that Mr. Biden’s current status at a score of nine means that the cancer is likely to spread more aggressively.
The grades of the Gleason score — the second number cited in the Biden office statement — range from one to five, meaning that Mr. Biden being at a grade five disclosed “very abnormal” cancer cells during his exam, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Mr. Biden’s office disclosed last week that a “small nodule” was found on his prostate during a routine physical examination that “necessitated further evaluation.”
Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in American men, according to the American Cancer Society, second only to lung cancer. Approximately one out of eight men are diagnosed with prostate cancer during their life.
“Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis,” President Trump said in a Truth Social post. “We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”
