Joe Biden Was Diagnosed With an ‘Aggressive’ Form of Prostate Cancer

Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. In a statement, his office described the cancer as “aggressive” and said the disease has spread to his bones.

Spokespeople for Biden said that a nodule, an indicator of prostate cancer, was found during a routine medical exam last week.

“In a routine physical exam a small nodule was found in the prostate which necessitated further evaluation,” a spokesperson told ABC News earlier last week. In Sunday’s statement, his spokesperson said he was diagnosed on Friday with “prostate cancer characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.” The statement added that the cancer “appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.”

At 82 years old, Biden was the oldest president at the time he left office. In his last annual medical exam as president, released on Feb. 24, 2024, he was said to be being monitored for a number of issues including routine skin cancer surveillance, but that he was a “healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency.”

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Violet Jira is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.