Former US President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, his office confirmed on Sunday.
The 82-year-old was diagnosed on Friday after experiencing worsening urinary symptoms. A medical evaluation revealed a prostate nodule, which led to further testing and confirmation of the cancer’s advanced stage.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, which allows for effective management,” Biden’s office said in a statement.
Doctors have graded the cancer as a 9 on the Gleason scale – one of the highest levels, indicating advanced disease. Biden and his family are currently reviewing treatment options.
Although early-stage prostate cancer typically has a five-year survival rate near 100 percent, the prognosis for metastatic cases is significantly lower. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the average survival rate for late-stage prostate cancer is 28 percent.
Biden, who served as president from 2021 to 2025, withdrew from his 2024 re-election bid after a widely criticised debate performance in June that intensified concerns about his age and health. He was succeeded as the Democratic nominee by then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who lost the November election to Donald Trump.
President Donald Trump, who has long been a political rival of Biden, offered support. “We wish Joe a fast and successful recovery,” he said in a social media post.
Former vice president Harris also expressed her sympathy, saying Biden is “a fighter” and praised his strength and optimism.
Former President Barack Obama, under whom Biden served as vice president, lauded Biden’s dedication to cancer research.
“Nobody has done more to find breakthrough treatments for cancer in all its forms than Joe,” Obama said, adding that he is confident Biden will face the illness with “resolve and grace.”
The diagnosis comes as renewed scrutiny has been cast on Biden’s final year in office, particularly around claims that his staff shielded the extent of his health decline. An upcoming book, Original Sin by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’s Alex Thompson, alleges incidents that raised internal concern about Biden’s condition, including confusion during public events.
In a recent interview, Biden denied claims of cognitive deterioration. “They are wrong. There’s nothing to sustain that,” he said on The View. He added that his decision to leave the race was driven by a desire to unify his party.
Senator Chris Murphy on Sunday became one of the latest Democrats to acknowledge that Biden’s re-election campaign may have been a miscalculation. His remarks came before news of Biden’s cancer became public.
Biden’s son, Beau, died from brain cancer in 2015 – an event that had a lasting impact on the former president’s advocacy for cancer research.
