Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer that has metastasized to the bones, according to a statement from his personal office.
Biden, 82, underwent additional tests last week after the discovery of a nodule in the prostate.
The cancer has a Gleason score of 9, representing a more aggressive case. (Gleason scores combine how many cancer cells are seen in a needle biopsy tissue sample and how aggressive the cells appear to be.)
“Although this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, allowing for effective management,” according to the statement, which says that Biden and his family are evaluating treatment options.
For men in the US, prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death and the most common, except for non-melanoma skin cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Biden left office in January after completing his first term as president. Facing intense scrutiny over his age, he decided in the summer to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race and endorse then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
Biden commented publicly on his diagnosis on Monday morning, writing in a post on X that “cancer affects us all”.
“Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places,” he wrote, alongside a selfie of the couple with their cat, Willow. “Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”
As vice president, Biden led the Cancer Moonshot initiative, launched during the tenure of former President Barack Obama, a year after the death of Biden’s son Beau from brain cancer. Biden reactivated the project after becoming president, promising to dramatically reduce the cancer mortality rate.
“We can do this. I promise, we can do this,” Biden said at the White House in 2022. “All those we have lost, all those we miss — we can end cancer as we know it.”
President Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Sunday that he and First Lady Melania Trump are “sad to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis”.
“We send our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and wish Joe a quick and successful recovery,” he wrote.
Harris said in a post on X that she and her husband, Doug Emhoff, were saddened to learn of Biden’s diagnosis.
“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,” Harris wrote. “We are hopeful for a full and speedy recovery.”
Source: www.npr.org