Former United States President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, his office confirmed on Sunday.
Biden, 82, underwent medical evaluation last week after experiencing urinary symptoms and the discovery of a prostate nodule. Doctors confirmed on Friday that the cancer had spread to his bones, marking a severe progression of the disease.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,” his office said. “The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
Prostate cancers are graded using the Gleason scoring system, which assesses the appearance of cancer cells compared to normal cells on a scale of 1 to 10. Biden’s score was 9, indicating a highly aggressive form of the cancer.
Once prostate cancer spreads beyond the prostate gland, it often moves to the bones, complicating treatment as it becomes harder for drugs to reach all affected areas. However, hormone-sensitive cancers, like Biden’s, can be managed with therapies that cut off the hormonal support the tumours rely on.
Political figures from across the spectrum extended their well wishes. Former President Donald Trump, a long-time political rival, said on social media, “we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”
Vice President Kamala Harris also expressed her support, writing, “Joe is a fighter — and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership.”
Biden’s health has been a significant talking point in American politics, especially as he chose not to seek a second term after a faltering debate performance last June. Harris, his former vice president, ultimately lost the 2024 election to Trump, who returned to the White House after a four-year hiatus.
In recent months, Biden has pushed back against concerns over his age, despite revelations in the new book “Original Sin” by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson that his aides had reportedly downplayed the extent of his health challenges while in office.
Biden’s medical history includes a basal cell carcinoma removed from his chest in February 2023 and a benign polyp removed from his colon in November 2021. The former president has been a vocal advocate for cancer research, having launched a “cancer moonshot” during his presidency aimed at cutting cancer death rates in half over the next 25 years. This initiative followed the death of his son Beau Biden from brain cancer in 2015.
As he announced the ambitious goal, Biden remarked that it could be an “American moment to prove to ourselves and, quite frankly, the world that we can do really big things.”
