Former President Joe Biden is diagnosed with cancer—an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has already metastasized (spread) to his bones. A doctor breaks down the diagnosis on CBS News.
From reporting by NPR:
Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, which has metastasized to the bone, according to a statement from his personal office.
Biden, 82, was seen for further tests last week after a finding of a prostate nodule.
The cancer has a Gleason score of 9, representing a more aggressive case. (Gleason scores combine how many cancerous cells are seen in a needle-biopsy tissue sample, and how aggressive the cells appear to be.)
Editor’s note: the Gleason score uses a range of 1-10, so Biden’s cancer is very aggressive at a score of 9.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,” according to the statement, which says Biden and his family are reviewing treatment options.
About Prostate Cancer
From the NIH website:
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the United States. Prostate cancer usually grows very slowly, and finding and treating it before symptoms occur may not improve men’s health or help them live longer.
The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system. It lies just below the bladder (the organ that collects and empties urine) and in front of the rectum (the lower part of the intestine). It is about the size of a walnut and surrounds part of the urethra (the tube that empties urine from the bladder). The prostate gland makes fluid that is part of the semen.
Prostate cancer is most common in older men. In the United States, about one out of eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.
