Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, his office confirmed in a statement released Sunday.
According to the announcement, Biden recently sought medical evaluation due to worsening urinary symptoms. “Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms,” the statement read. “On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.”
While the diagnosis points to an advanced and aggressive form of cancer, Biden’s medical team noted that it appears to be hormone-sensitive, which may make it more manageable with treatment. The statement said the former president and his family are currently reviewing treatment options with his physicians.
This is not Biden’s first encounter with cancer. During his presidency, the White House reported that a cancerous lesion was removed from his chest.
In February 2023, former White House physician Kevin O’Connor explained that a skin lesion taken during a routine health screening was found to be basal cell carcinoma, a common and typically treatable form of skin cancer.
“All cancerous tissue was successfully removed,” O’Connor wrote in a memo at the time, adding that the area was treated during the procedure and no further action was needed.
At 82 years old, Biden is the oldest living president in U.S. history.