NBC News reports Biden’s office announced the diagnosis in a statement on Friday. Reporter Ken Thomas was the first to share the news on Twitter. The cancer had already spread to the former president’s bones.
Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, per spokesman. pic.twitter.com/ucm5g1dULL
“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.
The Gleason score indicates a strong likelihood to continue to grow and spread to other parts of the body. However, it is one of the most common forms of cancer treated in genitourinary oncology.
According to Dr. Alan Tan, genitourinary section lead at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, the diagnosis is serious to swiftly treat, but not an automatic death sentence. A successful treatment could keep the cancer in check for many years. Although Tan generally spoke from his professional opinion, he predicts a “very good chance of still getting into remission” by the end of thr year. However, that depends on the results of further testing like a PET scan.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management. The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians,” the statement continued.
The former first family are reportedly currently consulting with doctors to consider treatment options. The illness was discovered when Biden’s doctor found a “small nodule” during a standard phyical exam, according to a spokesperson.
In 2023, Biden survived what turned out to be skin cancer. He had a lesion removed that was identified as basal cell carcinoma.
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