According to a statement sent by his office on Sunday, former US President Joe Biden, 82, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer that has spread to his bones.
After seeing a doctor last week for symptoms related to his urinary system, Biden, who stepped down from government in January, received a diagnosis on Friday.
With a Gleason score of nine out of ten, the cancer is a more severe type of the illness. According to Cancer Research UK, this indicates that his disease is categorized as “high-grade” and that the cancer cells may spread swiftly.
Treatment alternatives are reportedly being reviewed by Biden and his family. The cancer was hormone-sensitive, thus it was probably manageable, his office stated.
Biden’s office released the following statement on Sunday: “Once his urinary symptoms worsened, President Joe Biden was visited last week for a fresh discovery of a prostate nodule.
His diagnosis of prostate cancer, which has metastases to the bone and a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5), was made on Friday.
“While this indicates a more severe stage of the sickness, the cancer seems to be hormone-sensitive that makes it possible for effective management.”
Both sides of the political spectrum offered support to the former president after word spread of his diagnosis.
First Lady Melania Trump and President Donald Trump expressed their sadness over Joe Biden’s latest medical diagnosis in a post on their social media platform, Truth Social.
In reference to former First Lady Jill Biden, he stated, “We extend our sincerest and best wishes to Jill and the family.” “We wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”
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Kamala Harris, Biden’s former vice president, posted on X that she and her husband, Doug Emhoff, are praying for the Biden family.
“Joe is a fighter – and I know he is going to tackle this obstacle with that same power, perseverance, and optimism that has consistently defined his life and leadership,” stated Harris.
Barack Obama and his wife Michelle were “thinking of the entire Biden family” in a post on X. Obama was president from 2009 to 2017 and Joe Biden was his deputy.
“Joe has done more than anybody else to develop ground-breaking treatments for cancer in all of its forms, and I have no doubt that he will meet this challenge with his characteristic poise and commitment. “We hope for a speedy and complete recovery,” Obama stated. Obama assigned Biden the responsibility of spearheading a government-wide research initiative known as the “cancer moonshot” in 2016.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom expressed his condolences for President Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis. I hope the president receives prompt and effective treatment, and I send my warmest wishes to Joe, his wife Jill, and their family.”
The announcement was made over a year after the former president was compelled to withdraw from the 2024 US presidential contest due to health and age-related issues.
Biden, the Democratic candidate for reelection at the time, came under increasing fire for his dismal performance in a June televised debate against Donald Trump, the Republican contender and incumbent president.
His vice president, Kamala Harris, took his position as the Democratic nominee.
When he succeeded Biden, Trump, 78, became the oldest person to take the oath.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, prostate cancer is the second most frequent malignancy in men, after skin cancer. Thirteen out of every 100 men will get prostate cancer at some time in their lives, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to the CDC, age is the most prevalent risk factor.
According to publicly available information on Biden’s diagnosis, the cancer is more aggressive in nature, Dr. William Dahut, the Chief Scientific Officer of the American Cancer Society and a physician with training in prostate cancer, told the BBC.
“In broad terms, if cancer has advanced to the bones, we believe that it is regarded as a curable cancer,” stated Dr. Dahut.
Since leaving the White House, Biden has mostly avoided the spotlight and made few public appearances.
He acknowledged that the choice to withdraw from the 2024 contest was “difficult” in an interview , his first since leaving the White House.
In recent months, Biden has been questioned about his health.
During his May visit on The View, Biden refuted reports that he had been suffering from cognitive loss during his last year in the White House. “There is nothing to sustain that,” he stated.
The president had been an advocate for cancer research for many years.
In order to mobilize research efforts to prevent over four million cancer deaths by 2047, he and Mrs. Biden reintroduced the “cancer moonshot” program in 2022.
In 2015, Biden personally lost Beau, his oldest son, to brain cancer.
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