Former President Joe Biden is undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment as part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, a spokesperson for the former president told Spectrum News on Saturday.
Biden was diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer in May.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, which allows for effective management,” his office said at the time. “The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
Prostate cancers are given grades for aggressiveness on what’s called a Gleason score, which ranges from 6 to 10 with higher numbers indicating a higher level of aggressive behavior.
Biden’s office said in May that his prostate cancer was a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone, suggesting it is among the most aggressive.
NBC News was the first to report that Biden is undergoing radiation, and that the treatment is expected to take five weeks. The former president has already been taking a pill form of hormone medication and is “doing well,” the outlet reported.
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men worldwide, according to the Mayo Clinic, and the risk of developing it increases with age. Treatments include radiation, hormone therapy, surgery and chemotherapy.
In a post on social media announcing his diagnosis in May, Biden wrote, “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 82-year-old former president had previously undergone surgery to remove skin cancer lesions last month on his forehead, and in 2023, Biden had a cancerous lesion removed from his chest. Testing confirmed that the lesion was basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer.
Biden left the White House in January at the end of his four-year term. Months earlier he had suspended his campaign for reelection and endorsed then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who later lost to President Donald Trump.
Christina Santucci, Taylor Popielarz
Source link