After Joe Biden medical diagnosis report, here are risks and symptoms of prostate cancer
- A "small nodule" was found in Former President Joe Biden's prostate on May 13.
- On May 16, Biden was diagnosed with prostate cancer, with metastasis to the bone.
- Biden and his wife, Jill, posted on social media on May 19 thanking everyone for their support and prayers in light of the cancer diagnosis.
Former President Joe Biden was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer on May 16.
Here’s everything we know so far.
What happened to Joe Biden?
A “small nodule” was found in Biden’s prostate during a routine physical exam, ABC News reported on May 13.
A Biden spokesperson told ABC News that the finding “necessitated further evaluation,” but did not elaborate more on the nodule.
A May 18 statement from Biden’s office obtained by ABC News detailed that health concerns came about due to the former president experiencing increasing urinary symptoms. On May 16, 82-year-old Biden was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.
The statements continue by saying the diagnosis represents a “more aggressive form of the disease,” but “the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, which allows for effective management.” It concluded by sharing that Biden and his family are reviewing treatment options with physicians.
Biden and his wife, Jill, shared a post on social media on the morning of May 19 thanking everyone for the well wishes about the former president’s health.
“Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support,” the post read.
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a growth of cells that starts in the prostate, a small gland that helps make semen. It’s found just below the bladder and is part of the male reproductive system, according to Mayo Clinic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United States, aside from non-melanoma skin cancer. It also one of the leading causes of cancer death among men of all races and Hispanic origin populations.
Prostate cancer is usually found early and often grows slowly. Most people with prostate cancer are cured. If the cancer grows beyond the prostate or spread, there are “many treatment options.” If a cure is not possible, treatment options to prolong life and slow the spread are available, according to Mayo Clinic.
Metastatic prostate cancer
When prostate cancer spreads to other parts of the body, it is called metastatic prostate cancer.
What is a Gleason score?
“The Gleason score is a way of describing prostate cancer based on how abnormal the cancer cells in a biopsy sample look under a microscope and how quickly they are likely to grow and spread,” according to the National Cancer Institute.
The Gleason score usually ranges from 6 to 10. The lower a score is, the more the cancer cells look like normal cells are likely to grow and spread slowly. Biden’s score of 9 is at the highest level, in Grade Group 5, indicating that the cancer cells look different from normal cells and will grow and spread more quickly.
This category is also associated with a greater likelihood of metastasis and a “more challenging prognosis,” the National Cancer Institute reported.
Joe Biden’s health
During his last routine physical as president in February of 2024, Biden received a clean bill of health.
In February of 2023, a cancerous skin lesion was removed from Biden’s chest. The basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer, required no further treatment, according to his doctor.
Prior to his presidency, Biden had several non-melanoma skin cancers removed with Mohs surgery, a procedure used to treat skin cancer that involves cutting away thin layers of skin, according to ABC News.
Symptoms of prostate cancer
Signs and symptoms of early-stage prostate cancer, which has not metastasized, according to Mayo Clinic, are:
- Blood in the urine, which might make the urine look pink, red or cola-colored
- Blood in the semen
- Needing to urinate more often
- Waking up to urinate more often at night
- Trouble getting started when trying to urinate
Signs and symptoms of advanced prostate cancer include:
- Back and/or bone pain
- Accidental leaking of urine
- Erectile dysfunction
- Feeling very tired
- Weakness in the arms or legs
- Losing weight without trying
Prostate cancer risk factors
Factors that can increase the risk of prostate cancer, according to Mayo Clinic, are:
- Age. Prostate cancer is most common after age 50
- Race and ethnicity. Black people have a greater risk of prostate cancer than people of other races and ethnicities
- Family history of prostate cancer
- Obesity
- Smoking tobacco
How to prevent prostate cancer
There is no “sure way” to prevent prostate cancer, but there are ways to reduce your risk of prostate cancer, according to Mayo Clinic.
Preventive measures include:
- Choosing a healthy diet
- Exercising most days of the week
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Refraining from smoking
- Taking medicines to lower the risk of prostate cancer if you are at high risk of developing it
Joe Biden's son Beau
Biden, who made cancer research a focus of his president, lost his oldest child Beau Biden to brain cancer in 2015 at the age of 46.
During his two terms as Delaware attorney general, Beau Biden was beset by health problems. He suffered a minor stroke in 2010 that kept him out of office for several weeks. In 2013 he was treated at the University of Texas MD Anderson Center Center in Houston after becoming weak and disoriented on a family vacation, undergoing what a member of his medical team later described as surgery to remove a "small lesion" in his brain.
Shortly after Beau Biden's death, the then vice president confirmed his son was diagnosed with brain cancer in August 2013 and underwent the surgery at MD Anderson, which was followed by a normal course of treatment of radiation and chemotherapy. His doctor gave him a clean bill of health in November 2013.
But Beau Biden suffered a recurrence in the spring of 2015 and immediately sought aggressive treatment.
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