Former President Joe Biden Diagnosed with Prostate Cancer.

Biden Diagnosed with 'Aggressive' Form of Prostate Cancer //

Biden has been diagnosed with cancer. Former President Joe Biden's office said Sunday that he recently began experiencing symptoms

A statement from Biden's office said he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, which has spread to his bones.

“Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new prostate nodule after experiencing symptoms of increased urinary frequency. On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (grade group 5) and bone metastasis,” the statement said.

It added, “While this is a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, allowing for effective management.”

• The statement said Biden, 82, and his family are “reviewing treatment options with his doctors.”

The news comes days after a Biden spokesman recently said a “small nodule” had been discovered in the former president’s prostate.

“Prostate cancer is very common,” said Dr. Jamin Brahmabhatt, a urologist and robotic surgeon at Orlando Health and an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine, who was not involved in Biden’s treatment. “As men get older, they will have fewer cancer cells in their bodies.”

Prostate cancer can be graded based on how the cells look under a microscope, known as the Gleason score. A Gleason score of 9 “means it’s the most aggressive form of prostate cancer,” Dr. Benjamin Davis, a professor of urologic oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and not involved in Biden’s case, said in an email.

Biden is at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, this weekend, according to a source familiar with the matter. CNN has asked where the former president is receiving treatment.

 Biden faces health concerns ahead of the 2024 election

The oldest president in U.S. history, Biden has been plagued by age and health concerns since taking office, and he has been in the news more than ever since he postponed a debate against Donald Trump last June.

Biden speaks to attendees ahead of the funeral of the late Pope Francis.

In February 2024, Biden underwent a physical at Walter Reed National Military Center under the supervision of his physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, who said at the time that the president had "no new concerns" about his health and was "fit to serve."

A new book by CNN's Jack Tapper and Axios' Alex Thompson describes how the president was showing signs of decline that his aides ignored or explained away, even before Biden's disastrous debate, which led to his decision to drop out of the 2024 election three weeks later.

Tapper and Thompson wrote that Biden’s aides privately discussed whether to keep him in a wheelchair for their second term, and that Biden failed to recognize movie star George Clooney at a June 2024 fundraiser.

Biden has kept a relatively low profile since leaving the White House but has gradually begun to resurface in public. He appeared on ABC’s “The View” earlier this month with his wife, Jill Biden, where he denied experiencing cognitive decline in his final year in office.

• “They’re wrong,” Joe Biden said. “There’s no denying that.”

The former first lady added, “The people who wrote the books weren’t in the White House with us, and they didn’t see how hard Joe worked every day. He would wake up, take notes all day, and then at night, I would lie in bed and read my book, and he would still be on the phone, reading his briefings, working with his staff.”

Trump has continued to criticize then-President Biden even after he dropped out of the 2024 election race, claiming that Biden has cognitive decline.

Joe Biden at a conference in Chicago

During Trump’s trip to the Middle East, he largely ignored long-standing presidential rules to avoid criticizing domestic political opponents while traveling abroad, attacking his predecessor personally on multiple occasions. But on Sunday, Trump put his feelings aside and expressed his best wishes for the former president.

“Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical treatment. We send our warmest and best wishes to Jill and her family, and wish Joe a speedy and successful recovery,” she posted on Truth Social.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who took over the Democratic campaign after Biden stepped down from the campaign, also wished the former president a speedy recovery, adding that “Joe is a fighter.”

In a post on Truth Social on Sunday,  President Trump said that he and  First Lady Melania Trump “are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical treatment.” “We send our warmest and best wishes to Jill and her family, and wish Joe a speedy and successful recovery,” she wrote.

Doug and I are saddened by the news that President Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.  We are holding him, “Biden, and their entire family in our hearts and prayers at this time,” Harris wrote on X.. “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. We are hopeful for his full and speedy recovery.”

Cancer 'Very Serious', But 'There's Some Good News,' Experts Say

In addition to the Gleason score, factors such as blood prostate-specific antigen levels, imaging tests, and biopsy results are important in determining how the cancer will behave and what treatment options are best.

Former President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden on The View.

Even patients with high-risk prostate cancer "can live a fairly normal life and have a good quality of life if the cancer is treated," Brahmabhatta said. This treatment is personalized for each patient and can come in different forms, such as hormone therapy, chemotherapy, or radiation.

Davis said that Biden's cancer spreading to the bones is "very serious and not curable." However, "there is some good news in the last few years, because new hormone and chemotherapy therapies have come into play in this case, which have shown impressive results and have significantly increased the longevity of patients."

Brahmabhatta said it could take "a few weeks" to understand where Biden's treatment is going. "Some treatments can affect memory, mood, quality of life, so you have to be very careful about what you end up doing, because you don't want to be overly aggressive."

 Biden's role in the fight to eradicate cancer

Cancer has long been a personal issue for Biden, whose son Beau, an Iraq War veteran and former Delaware attorney general, died of brain cancer in 2015 at the age of 46.

At a 2016 presidential memorial service, then-President Barack Obama. At the time, Biden promised that he was "not naive about the challenges ahead," he said, "not optimistic that we can do anything big."

In 2022, then-President Biden relaunched the program as the "Cancer Moonshot" initiative, committing the nation to work toward a goal of reducing cancer deaths by at least 50% over the next 25 years.

• "We are putting together a national effort to cut American cancer deaths in half over the next 20 to 25 years and increase support for patients and their families. I am confident in our ability.

I know we can, but it's not just a matter of personal preference - it's about what's possible," Biden said last August, referring to a new $150 million research award.

In their messages of support, both Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton highlighted Biden's efforts to eliminate cancer.

Biden speaks to former White House doctor about cancer treatment options

"I'm thinking of the Biden family as they battle cancer, a disease they have worked so hard to protect other families from.  Wishing you a speedy and complete recovery," Clinton posted on X

"Michelle and I are thinking of the entire Biden family," Obama posted on X.. "No one has worked harder than Joe to discover breakthrough treatments for all types of cancer. I am confident that he will rise to this challenge with his unique tenacity and compassion. We pray for a speedy and complete recovery."

👉Joe Biden Diagnosed with 'Aggressive' Prostate Cancer, His Office Says