The office of the former President Joe Biden has confirmed that the 82-year-old has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has already spread to his bones.
In a statement released Sunday, Biden’s team revealed that the former president was recently evaluated for increasing urinary symptoms. Doctors discovered a nodule on his prostate, and a biopsy conducted Friday confirmed a severe diagnosis: metastatic prostate cancer, with a Gleason score of 9—one of the highest possible, indicating a fast-growing and aggressive form of the disease.
While the diagnosis is serious, Biden’s medical team noted that the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, which means it can potentially be managed with existing therapies. Biden and his family are now consulting with his doctors to determine the best course of treatment.
This is not Biden’s first health scare. In February of last year, his physician disclosed that a cancerous lesion was removed from his chest and confirmed to be basal cell carcinoma. That tissue was fully excised and required no further treatment at the time.
Earlier in his political career, Biden survived two life-threatening brain aneurysms while serving as a U.S. senator—doctors then gave him only a 50-50 chance of survival.
Cancer has long been a deeply personal and political issue for Biden. In 2016, during his vice presidency under Barack Obama, he launched the “Cancer Moonshot” initiative after losing his son, Beau, to brain cancer. The program aimed to speed up cancer research and improve collaboration across the scientific community.
After taking office, Biden revived the program with the ambitious goal of halving the U.S. cancer death rate within the next 25 years, calling for greater data sharing and dismantling research silos.
According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 2 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer in 2024, with more than 610,000 expected deaths—making it the nation’s second-leading cause of death behind heart disease.
As the former president prepares for another fight—this time a very personal one—the nation watches with concern and support. SNEWS TV will continue to monitor Biden’s condition and bring you updates as we learn more.
Reporting by Katy Moore.
