BY AGENCIES
UNITED STATES: Former US President Joe Biden, 82, has been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, a statement from his office confirmed on Sunday.
The diagnosis follows medical consultations after he reported increasing urinary symptoms last week.
Doctors confirmed the cancer on Friday, revealing that it is a particularly aggressive form of the disease, with a Gleason score of 9 out of 10, placing it in the “high-grade” category.
According to experts, such cancers tend to grow and spread more quickly, requiring prompt and intensive treatment.
However, Biden’s office noted that the cancer is hormone-sensitive, which gives doctors more treatment options and a pathway toward managing the condition effectively.
“Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms. On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterised by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone. While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, which allows for effective management,” read the statement from his office.
The former president and his family are currently reviewing treatment options, and no timeline has yet been given for when treatment will begin.
News of the diagnosis drew swift reactions from political leaders across the United States and beyond.
President Donald Trump, Biden’s long-time political rival, expressed sympathy in a post on his Truth Social platform, stating that he and First Lady Melania Trump were “saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis.”
“We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family. We wish Joe a fast and successful recovery,” Trump wrote.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who served under Biden’s administration, expressed her support on social media. “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,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
She added that she and her husband, Doug Emhoff, are keeping the Biden family in their prayers.
Former President Barack Obama, under whom Biden served as vice president from 2009 to 2017, also shared a message of support.
“Nobody has done more to find breakthrough treatments for cancer in all its forms than Joe, and I am certain he will fight this challenge with his trademark resolve and grace. We pray for a fast and full recovery,” Obama wrote on X.
In 2016, Obama appointed Biden to lead the “cancer moonshot” initiative, a government-wide effort to accelerate research into cancer treatments.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer extended his sympathies, writing, “I am very sorry to hear President Biden has prostate cancer. All the very best to Joe, his wife Jill, and their family, and wishing the president swift and successful treatment.”
The news comes nearly a year after the former president was forced to drop out of the 2024 US presidential election over concerns about his health and age. He is the oldest person to have held the office in US history.
Biden, then the Democratic nominee vying for re-election, faced mounting criticism of his poor performance in a June televised debate against Republican nominee and current president Donald Trump. He was replaced as the Democratic candidate by his vice president, Kamala Harris.
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer affecting men, behind skin cancer, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that 13 out of every 100 men will develop prostate cancer at some point in their lives.
Age is the most common risk factor, the CDC says.
Dr William Dahut, the Chief Scientific Officer at the American Cancer Society and a trained prostate cancer physician, told the BBC that the cancer is more aggressive, based on the publicly available information on Biden’s diagnosis.
“In general, if cancer has spread to the bones, we don’t think it is considered a curable cancer,” Dr Dahut said.
He noted, however, that most patients tend to respond well to initial treatment, “and people can live many years with the diagnosis”.
Dr Dahut said that someone with the former president’s diagnosis will likely be offered hormonal therapies to mitigate symptoms and to slow the growth of cancerous cells.
Biden had largely retreated from the public eye since leaving the White House and he has made few public appearances.
The former president delivered a keynote speech in April at a Chicago conference held by the Advocates, Counselors, and Representatives for the Disabled, a US-based advocacy group for people with disabilities.
In May, he sat down for an interview with the BBC – his first since leaving the White House – where he admitted that the decision to step down from the 2024 race was “difficult”.
Biden has faced questions about the status of his health in recent months.
In an appearance on The View programme that also took place in May, Biden denied claims that he had been experiencing cognitive decline in his final year at the White House. “There is nothing to sustain that,” he said.
For many years, the president had advocated for cancer research.
In 2022, he and Mrs Biden relaunched the “cancer moonshot” initiative with the goal of mobilising research efforts to prevent more than four million cancer deaths by the year 2047.
Biden himself lost his eldest son, Beau, to brain cancer in 2015.
The news comes at a critical time in American politics, as the country looks ahead to the 2026 elections.
Although Biden has left office, his influence on public policy and his longstanding role in American political life remain significant.
