Joe Biden Diagnosed with Aggressive Prostate Cancer: What It Means for His Future

Ten years after losing his son Beau to brain cancer, Joe Biden finds himself again facing a heart-wrenching personal health scandal. The former US President is now 82 years of age and has announced that he is fighting an “aggressive type” of prostate cancer that has spread to the bones.

The announcement comes at a time when there is growing scrutiny of his health, particularly after he pulled out of the race for the 2024 presidential election early this year.

Diagnosis Follows Alarming Symptoms

A statement confirming the diagnosis came from Biden’s office on May 18. “Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for the discovery of a prostate nodule following worsening urinary symptoms,” it stated.

On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which is defined by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with bone metastasis. Although this is an aggressive disease, the cancer does seem to be hormone-sensitive, allowing for effective treatment,” the statement went on to say.

This came after weeks of medical assessment. Experts note that a Gleason score of 9 means highly malignant cells and a higher chance of the cancer spreading. In Biden’s situation, it already has. Otis Brawley, a Johns Hopkins University medical oncologist, discussed the meaning of such a high Gleason score: “If I have a Gleason Score of 6, it is rarely metastatic. If I have a 7, 8, 9, or 10, it can be metastatic.”. As the figure increases, the chances of it being metastatic increase.

Political Leaders Demonstrate Support

In a rare bipartisan display, political leaders from both sides of the aisle extended their support. Former President Donald Trump indicated his concern through his social media site, Truth Social, in writing, “We are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis.”

Barack Obama, Biden’s former boss when he was Vice President, was optimistic about his old friend’s resilience, declaring that Biden will battle cancer “with his trademark resolve and grace.” Kamala Harris, the current Vice President, commented on X, “Joe is a fighter — and I know he will meet this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always characterized his life and leadership. We are optimistic for a full and speedy recovery.”

Modern History of Joe Biden with Cancer and Recent Exits from the 2024 Race

This is not the same Joe Biden who faced cancer before. He had several non-melanoma skin cancers excised in the past and underwent the removal of a papillary thyroid carcinoma and a papilloma in February 2023 from his chest. His Modern diagnosis, however, is the most severe, especially since it comes months after he withdrew from the 2024 race amidst controversies surrounding his mental acuity. Modern.

CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, in their new book Original Sin, outline how Biden’s staff ignored initial signs of deterioration. The diagnosis thus lends weight to previous worries and asks more questions regarding how long he had been sick.

Prostate Cancer: Just How Hazardous Is It?

Prostate cancer originates in the tiny walnut-shaped gland that lies beneath the bladder in men. Although often very slow-growing and localized to the gland, certain cancers are quite aggressive and can very rapidly spread to bones and other organs. Biden’s case is especially problematic due to this metastasis.

Prostate cancer ranks as the second most frequent cancer in men after non-melanoma skin cancer, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is estimated that approximately 13 out of 100 American men will develop it in their lifetime. The American Cancer Society estimates that doctors will diagnose more than 3,13,000 new cases in the US alone in 2025.

Survival rates differ greatly based on age and the cancer stage. Although men aged below 65 have a survival rate of approximately 98%, it decreases to 85% for men aged above 80. Once the disease has spread, as in the case of Biden, the five-year survival rate decreases to between 30% and 40%.

Symptoms and Treatment: What’s Next for Joe Biden?

The common symptoms of prostate cancer are urinating more often, inability to urinate, and presence of blood in the urine or semen. In late cases, it can cause back or bone pain, tiredness, impotence, and weight loss.

The therapy used depends on the extent of the disease. Surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy are the most widely used. In the majority of instances, doctors use hormone therapy as a first-line defense. These drugs either suppress testosterone, which spurs prostate cancer development, or lower testosterone levels.

William Dahut, Chief Scientific Officer of the American Cancer Society, described the outlook: “Once it spreads to the bones, in general we no longer consider this a curable cancer, although there are therapies that are very effective at treating the cancer.”

“He certainly could live many years with this. There’s a broad range of how long individuals can survive with metastatic prostate cancer,” Dahut explained. “In the most aggressive tumors, less than a year, but there are cases of folks living 15 or 20 years, too.”

Political Fallout and Conspiracy

With the country digesting this news, political rumor-mongering has escalated. Right-wing influencer Laura Loomer fueled uproar by announcing that Biden had been terminally ill since last July 2024 and that Kamala Harris had de facto taken over back then. “Joe Biden had cancer for a while,” she claimed on X.. “He went terminal in July… Plenty of people should be apologizing to me. I told all of you about Biden being terminal last July. Terminal is between six months to a year…Won’t take long.”

These allegations are unsubstantiated and politicized, but they also reflect the polarized atmosphere surrounding Biden’s health and leadership.