By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – Former U.S. President Joe Biden faced a major crisis Sunday after he was diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer, prompting expressions of concern from his predecessor and successor Donald J. Trump.
Biden’s office revealed Sunday that the cancer has spread to his bones, underscoring the severity of the situation.
The 82-year-old former president, who appeared frail, was seen last week by doctors after urinary symptoms and a prostate nodule were found, according to U.S. officials.
Biden, a devout Catholic, and his family are reportedly considering treatment options.
“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. “The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
Experts say prostate cancers are given a Gleason score that measures how cancerous cells look compared with normal cells on a scale of one to 10. Biden’s office noted that his score was nine, suggesting his cancer is among the most aggressive.
When prostate cancer spreads to other parts of the body, it often spreads to the bones. Metastasised cancer is much harder to treat than localised cancer because it can be hard for drugs to reach all the tumours and completely root out the disease, according to experts.
GROWING HORMONES
However, when prostate cancers need hormones to grow, as in Biden’s case, they can be susceptible to treatment that deprives the tumors of hormones.
Yet prostate cancer experts cautioned that Biden’s diagnosis is serious, and that once the cancer has spread to the bones, as in Biden’s case, it cannot be cured.
But Dr. Judd Moul, a prostate cancer expert at Duke University, said in published remarks that men whose prostate cancer has spread “can live five, seven, 10 or more years.”
The first line of attack is to cut off the testosterone that feeds prostate cancer. Dr. Moul said that when he started as a urologist in the 1980s, this was done by removing a man’s testicles.
Today, men have a choice of two drugs given by injection that block the testicles from making testosterone or a pill that does the same thing.
In addition, men take drugs that block any testosterone that is produced, despite the drugs that inhibit its production.
Dr. Moul said he sees men of Biden’s age with similar prostate cancer diagnoses regularly. “Survival rates have almost tripled in the last decade,” he said.
HEALTH SCARE
However, the health scare underscored concerns about Biden, who faced questions about his age and health throughout his presidency. This ultimately led him to abandon his re-election campaign under pressure from his own party.
Yet President Trump expressed concern for his political rival. “[First lady] Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis,” the president wrote on his Truth Social platform. “We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”
The uncharacteristically gracious tone and reference to Biden by his first name “Joe” were reminiscent of the Democrat’s gesture of concern for “Donald” after last year’s attempted assassination of Trump, commentators noticed.
Kamala Harris, who served as Biden’s vice-president, wrote on social media outlet X that she and her husband Doug Emhoff were “saddened” to learn of the diagnosis. “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,” she stressed.
Biden was the oldest president in history, and his health was a dominant concern among voters.
After he was declared the winner in the 2020 presidential election against incumbent Trump, he sought a rematch with him last year. But, amid questions about his age and mental acuity, he dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris to succeed him.
Trump, who is just three years younger than Biden, subsequently defeated Harris in November’s election and returned to the White House in January in a historic comeback.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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