Joe Biden Diagnosed with Aggressive Prostate Cancer: Extent, Symptoms, and Treatment Options

Former U.S. President Joe Biden, 82, has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has metastasized to his bones. According to a statement from his office, he had been experiencing urinary symptoms and underwent evaluation at a hospital in Philadelphia last week, where doctors discovered a small nodule on his prostate.

How Far Has the Cancer Spread?

Biden’s spokesperson, Kelly Scully, confirmed that the cancer has spread to the bone—an advanced stage seen in approximately 60% of metastatic prostate cancer cases, as reported by health organization Zero Prostate Cancer. His cancer has been classified with a Gleason score of 9, indicating a highly aggressive and fast-growing form of the disease.

What Are the Symptoms of Prostate Cancer?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), prostate cancer typically begins with urinary symptoms such as:

Weak or interrupted urine flow

Increased frequency of urination, especially at night

Dribbling

Presence of blood in the urine

It is important to note that these symptoms can also be caused by benign prostate enlargement, which is common in older men. Accurate diagnosis often requires a biopsy and a PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) test.

In more advanced stages, prostate cancer can spread to bones or lymph nodes, causing:

Persistent bone pain (often in the hips, back, or thighs)

Fatigue

Unexplained weight loss

Treatment Outlook

Despite the seriousness of the diagnosis, there is a silver lining—Biden’s cancer is hormone-sensitive. This means it can still respond to hormone therapy, a common treatment that slows or stops the growth of cancer by reducing the body’s production of testosterone.

“Hormone-sensitive cancers tend to respond well to treatment, which makes management possible even in aggressive cases,” Scully stated, as reported by Bloomberg. “The president and his family are reviewing treatment options with his medical team.”

For advanced prostate cancer, standard treatments may include:

Hormone therapy (androgen deprivation therapy)

Chemotherapy

Radiation therapy

Combination therapies

Hormone therapy is typically the first line of treatment, while chemotherapy is considered when the cancer no longer responds to hormones or becomes more aggressive.

A Personal Battle

Cancer is a deeply personal issue for Joe Biden. In 2015, he lost his son, Beau Biden, to brain cancer. During his presidency, he spearheaded the Cancer Moonshot initiative, aimed at increasing funding for cancer research and accelerating progress toward a cure.

Biden, the oldest president in U.S. history, has recently reappeared in the public eye amid the release of his upcoming book. Questions about his age and health have resurfaced following leaked 2023 interview recordings, where Special Counsel Robert Hur described him as “an elderly man with a poor memory.”

Despite these challenges, Biden has continued to make select public appearances, including an interview on ABC’s The View, where he addressed concerns over his age and health.

Public Reaction

Following the announcement, President Donald Trump expressed sadness over Biden’s diagnosis, while Vice President Kamala Harris said, “He is a fighter.”

As the Biden family considers treatment options, support continues to pour in from political leaders, healthcare advocates, and the public.