Former United States President, Joe Biden, has been diagnosed with an aggressive type of prostate cancer that has already spread to his bones.
A statement from his office on Sunday said the 82-year-old was diagnosed on Friday after doctors noticed worsening urinary symptoms and found a nodule in his prostate.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,” the statement said.
“The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
Doctors revealed that Biden’s cancer has a Gleason score of 9, which is one of the most severe grades of prostate cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. This type of cancer can spread quickly and may be difficult to control.
Though prostate cancer is common in older men, this particular case is more serious. Hormone therapy can help manage the disease by shrinking tumors and slowing their growth, but it is not a complete cure.
Biden, who left office in January 2025, was the oldest president in U.S. history. During his time in office, many questioned his health and age, especially after a poor debate performance in 2024 against Donald Trump. That debate led him to step down from his re-election campaign.
After he left the race, his vice president, Kamala Harris, ran against Trump but lost.
Biden has faced many personal and health challenges throughout his life. He lost his first wife and baby daughter in a car crash in 1972. In 1988, he had surgeries for two brain aneurysms. In 2023, he had skin cancer removed from his chest. His son, Beau Biden, died of brain cancer in 2015.
Despite these setbacks, Biden remained strong in public. When people questioned his ability to lead, he would often reply, “Watch me.”
However, recent reports and recordings have raised fresh concerns about his mental sharpness while in office. A book set to be released on Tuesday, titled “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again”, is expected to reveal more details.
