Former US President Joe Biden diagnosed with 'aggressive' form of prostate cancer

Former US President Joe Biden

Former US President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an "aggressive form" of prostate cancer that has metastasized to the bone, and he and his family are reviewing treatment options with doctors, his office said in a statement on Sunday.

Biden was diagnosed on Friday after having experienced urinary symptoms, 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. The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians."

Prostate cancers are given a score called a Gleason score that measures, on a scale of 1 to 10, how the cancerous cells look compared with normal cells. Biden’s office said his score was 9, suggesting his cancer is among the most aggressive.

When prostate cancer spreads to other parts of the body, it often spreads to the bones. Metastasized cancer is much harder to treat than localized cancer because it can be hard for drugs to reach all the tumors and completely root out the disease.

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.

Biden's term as president ended on January 20, when Donald Trump was sworn in.

Biden, who served as president from 2021 to 2025, abruptly ended his bid for reelection last July, weeks after a halting performance during a debate against Republican candidate Donald Trump prompted panic among his fellow Democrats. Vice President Kamala Harris took over as the party's nominee but lost in November to Trump.

Biden's physical health and mental acuity drew intense media scrutiny even before the debate. At the time of his election, Biden was the oldest person to win the presidency.

*With Agency Inputs