WASHINGTON 鈥 Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, his office said Sunday.
Former U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the Advocates, Counselors, and Representatives for the Disabled conference April 15 in Chicago.
Biden was seen by doctors last week after urinary symptoms and a prostate nodule were found. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer on Friday, with the cancer cells having spread to the bone.
鈥淲hile this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management," his office said. "The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.鈥
Prostate cancers are given a score called a Gleason score that measures, on a scale of 1 to 10, how the cancerous cells look compared with normal cells. Biden鈥檚 office said his score was 9, suggesting his cancer is among the most aggressive.
When prostate cancer spreads to other parts of the body, it often spreads to the bones. Metastasized cancer is much harder to treat than localized cancer because it can be hard for drugs to reach all the tumors and completely root out the disease.
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However, when prostate cancers need hormones to grow, as in Biden鈥檚 case, they can be susceptible to treatment that deprives the tumors of hormones.
Outcomes have improved in recent decades and patients can expect to live with metastatic prostate cancer for four or five years, said Dr. Matthew Smith of Massachusetts General Brigham Cancer Center.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very treatable, but not curable,鈥 Smith said. 鈥淢ost men in this situation would be treated with drugs and would not be advised to have either surgery or radiation therapy.鈥
Many political leaders sent Biden their wishes for his recovery.
President Donald Trump, a longtime political opponent, posted on social media that he was saddened by the news and 鈥渨e wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.鈥
Biden's vice president, Kamala Harris, said on social media that she was keeping him in her family's 鈥渉earts and prayers during this time.鈥
鈥淛oe is a fighter 鈥 and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership,鈥 Harris wrote.
The health of Biden, 82, was a dominant concern among voters during his time as president. After a calamitous debate performance in June while seeking reelection, Biden abandoned his bid for a second term. Harris became the nominee and lost to Trump, a Republican who returned to the White House after a four-year hiatus.
But in recent days, Biden rejected concerns about his age despite reporting in the new book 鈥淥riginal Sin鈥 by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson that aides had shielded the public from the extent of his decline while serving as president.
In February 2023, Biden had a skin lesion removed from his chest that was a basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer. And in November 2021, he had a polyp removed from his colon that was a benign, but potentially pre-cancerous lesion.
In 2022, Biden made a 鈥渃ancer moonshot鈥 one of his administration's priorities with the goal of halving the cancer death rate over the next 25 years. The initiative was a continuation of his work as vice president to address a disease that had killed his older son, Beau, who died from brain cancer in 2015.
His father, when announcing the goal to halve the cancer death rate, said this could be an 鈥淎merican moment to prove to ourselves and, quite frankly, the world that we can do really big things.鈥
Developments in oncology over the last year showing promise for cancer patients and others
Developments in oncology over the last year showing promise for cancer patients and others
Leaps forward in tech and science this past year promise greater accessibility and quality of care for Americans suffering from nearly all forms of cancer.
analyzed academic studies and resources from leading cancer research institutions, including the and the , to round up the latest advancements in oncology鈥攖he science of diagnosing, preventing, and treating various forms of cancer.
Evidence of when medical records in Egyptian hieroglyphics described surgical procedures and an understanding of benign and malignant tumors. The modern science of oncology, which we now appreciate for its ability to greatly extend life expectancies for those living with cancer, began in earnest a little more than 100 years ago.
Around the turn of the 20th century, Marie Curie's work in chemistry and radiology, or the science of X-rays and radiation, was fundamental to the evolution of cancer research. In the post-World War II years, advancements in computer technology allowed truly modern techniques for diagnosis and treatment to flourish, including and targeted therapies that don't harm healthy parts of the body.
An estimated every year. New developments are underway by medical technology firms and researchers that have the potential to improve the effects of radiation therapy or bypass its need altogether for the millions of people diagnosed with cancer every year.
Artificial intelligence applications in cancer detection and treatment
Aspects of computer science algorithms have been put to work detecting cancer and pinpointing more effective forms of treatment for about the last 20 years, though research in the area is becoming more popular surrounding the launch of powerful and accessible generative AI tools in late 2022. Mentions of AI in cancer research have appeared in more than 1,000 research journal publications each year since 2022.
One of the more is the potential for AI to do a better job than humans in spotting hard-to-identify signs of emerging colon and rectal cancer, the cause of death from cancer and the number one cause for . The study adds to a growing body of research suggesting AI algorithms can improve early detection, one of the best-known ways to .
The promise of pre-chemotherapy surgery
Pancreatic cancer is among the most aggressive forms of cancer with one of the lowest survival rates. Even when caught early, the average , according to Johns Hopkins.
A performed before recently diagnosed pancreatic cancer patients begin chemotherapy has shown signs of helping doctors better treat it before it spreads, according to a study published last July in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
Genome sequencing opens up the potential for more targeted treatments
Genome sequencing, or the mapping of the genetic tissues within the human body, has evolved since the 1980s as a tool for personalizing health care treatments rather than applying potentially less-effective blanket treatments.
Cancers involve mutations of the cell that can vary greatly from case to case. In January, researchers published the largest of its kind. The study included data on nearly 14,000 tumors, which the authors believe will impact how doctors for cancer patients.
Precise biology-guided radiation for bone and lung cancer therapy
Lung cancer causes 1 in 5 deaths among all forms of cancer and is the leading cause of all cancer deaths. This past year, top cancer centers including the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center rolled out new to help target multiple cancerous areas within the affected body parts while not damaging healthy surrounding tissue. Using radioactivity, the treatment causes cancer cells to produce a signal that it can target with beams of radiation.
Story editing by聽Alizah Salario. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Tim Bruns. Photo selection by Ania Antecka.
This story originally appeared on Medical Technology Schools and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
