Former US President Joe Biden, 82, has been diagnosed with an “aggressive form of prostate cancer” that has spread to his bones, his office said in a statement on Sunday, the 18th of May, according to Reuters.
Baiden was diagnosed on Friday after increasing urinary symptoms, and he and his family are reviewing treatment options with his doctors, the statement said.
Baiden’s office said the cancer scored nine out of ten on the Gleesen scale, which is used to determine the aggressiveness of prostate cancer.
“Although this is a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone sensitive, which allows it to be effectively managed,” his office said.
Cancer that has spread to other parts of the body (metastased) is considered stage 4, or the most severe stage. Most prostate cancers are detected at an earlier stage.
According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, of the 236 659 prostate cancer cases diagnosed in 2021, 70% were diagnosed before the cancer had spread beyond the prostate. About 8% of new prostate cancer diagnoses in that year were due to advanced disease.
Biden’s physical and mental health has been carefully scrutinised during his 2021-2025 presidency.
President Trump, who has repeatedly rebuked Biden since taking office in January, expressed his condolences to Biden and his wife Jill on Sunday on the social media platform Truth Social.
“Melanie and I are saddened to learn of Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis,” he wrote. “We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the entire family and wish Joe a speedy and successful recovery.”
Although Biden’s form of cancer has a “very high risk”, many men with metastatic prostate cancer can still live for five to ten years or beyond, said Dr Herbert Lepore, a urologist at NYU hospital.
He added that there have been several advances in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer over the past decade.
Dr Chris George, medical director of the Northwest Health Network Cancer Programme, said that once prostate cancer has spread to the bone, it is no longer curable, but there are methods that can control it.
Since leaving his post, Baiden has made only a few public appearances and has not been very visible. One of the few times was in April, when he defended the Social Security Administration against Trump’s proposed budget cuts.
He has also defended his legacy in interviews and dismissed reports of cognitive decline during his last year in office.
Biden received many supportive messages from both Democrats and Republicans on Sunday.
“Joe is a fighter, and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience and optimism that has always characterised his life and leadership,” Kamala Harris said in a statement.
Biden lost his son Bo Biden to brain cancer in 2015.
In 2022, Biden renewed the Obama-era Cancer Moonshot programme, which aims to reduce cancer deaths by at least 50% over the next 25 years.