A statement from former US President Joe Biden’s office revealed on Sunday that he has been diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones.
The diagnosis, which came on Friday, followed an increase in urinary symptoms and the discovery of a prostate nodule.
The statement noted that while the cancer is aggressive, it appears to be hormone-sensitive, allowing for potential management. Biden and his family are consulting with his physicians to review treatment options.
The cancer was assigned a “Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5),” indicating a highly abnormal form of the disease.
Biden, who left office in January as the oldest serving US president, faced persistent questions about his health and age throughout his presidency.
Concerns about his mental acuity and physical endurance were raised, particularly after a challenging debate against Republican Donald Trump in July of the previous year, which ultimately led to him dropping his reelection bid.
The statement about his diagnosis comes amid renewed scrutiny of Biden’s cognitive abilities, fueled by an upcoming book, “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,” and a recently released recording of him struggling to recall events.
Biden’s life has been marked by personal tragedy, including the loss of his first wife and daughter in a 1972 car accident and the death of his son Beau from brain cancer in 2015.
He also underwent surgeries for brain aneurysms in 1988 and had skin cancer lesions removed in recent years.
