Former President Joe Biden was diagnosed with an "aggressive form" of prostate cancer, and it has spread to his bones, according to a statement from his personal office Sunday, reports CNN.
"Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms. On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterised by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone," the statement said.
"While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, which allows for effective management."
Biden, 82, and his family "are reviewing treatment options with his physicians", the statement said.
The news comes days after a spokesperson for Biden said the former president was recently evaluated for a "small nodule" discovered on his prostate.
"Prostate cancer is very common," said Jamin Brahmbhatt, a urologist and robotic surgeon with Orlando Health and an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida's College of Medicine, who is not involved in Biden's treatment. "As we get older, most men are going to have little cancer cells in them."
Prostate cancers can be assigned a grade, known as a Gleason score, based on what the cells look like under a microscope. A Gleason score of 9 "means it's the most aggressive form of prostate cancer", Dr. Benjamin Davies, a professor of urologic oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center who is also not involved in Biden's case, told CNN in an email.
Biden is at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, this weekend according to a source familiar with developments. CNN has inquired about where the former president is being treated, the report added.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who took over the Democrats' campaign after Biden dropped out of the race, also wished the former president a speedy recovery and added that "Joe is a fighter."
"Doug and I are saddened to learn of President Biden's prostate cancer diagnosis. We are keeping him, Dr. Biden, and their entire family in our hearts and prayers during this time," Harris wrote on X. "Joe is a fighter — and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership. We are hopeful for a full and speedy recovery."
Besides the Gleason score, factors such as blood prostate-specific antigen levels, imaging tests and biopsy findings are important in determining how the cancer might behave and what treatment options would be best.
The fact that Biden's cancer has spread to the bone "is very serious and not curable," Davies was quoted by CNN as saying. "There is some good news here in the newer hormonal and chemotherapy therapies [that have come] into this space in the past few years, which have shown impressive results and extended the longevity of patients significantly."
It could take "a few weeks" to see which direction Biden's treatment goes, Brahmbhatt said. "Some of the treatments can affect memory, mood, quality of life, so you have to be very careful about what you end up doing, because you don't want to be overly aggressive."
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