Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer, according to a statement from his personal office to CNN on Sunday (May 18).
“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, characterized 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, recently underwent “routine physical exam” led to the discovery of “a small nodule,” a spokesperson confirmed to ABC News on Tuesday (May 13).
“In a routine physical exam a small nodule was found in the prostate which necessitated further evaluation,” the spokesperson said.
The former president previously had a lesion reported to be cancerous removed from his chest in February 2023, as well as multiple non-melanoma skin cancers removed with Mohs surgery prior to his inauguration in 2021.
“As expected, the biopsy confirmed that the small lesion was basal cell carcinoma,” said White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor while describing the surgical procedure at the time via ABC News. “All cancerous tissue was successfully removed. … No further treatment is required.”
“Basal cell carcinoma lesions do not tend to ‘spread’ or metastasize, as some more serious skin cancers such as melanoma or squamous cell carcinoma are known to do,” O’Connor continued. “They do, however, have the potential to increase in size, resulting in a more significant issue as well as increased challenges for surgical removal.”
O’Connor added that the “site of the biopsy has healed nicely and the President will continue dermatologic surveillance as part of his ongoing comprehensive healthcare” at the time.
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