Former President Joe Biden was diagnosed Friday with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer, according to a statement shared with CNN.
“Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms,” read the statement. “On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.”
A Gleason Score is a scale used to determine how likely cancer cells located in the prostate will spread or grow, according to Mount Sinai. The scale is graded from three to 10, so Biden’s nine means his cancer cells are more likely to advance than most.
The statement added that Biden’s diagnosis “represents a more aggressive form” of cancer, but that his case was “hormone-sensitive,” which should make treatment easier. It also shared that Biden and his family are currently “reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
At 82, Biden was the oldest sitting president in the history of the United States. He was originally poised to run for reelection in the 2024 presidential race, but bowed out due to growing concerns surrounding his mental and physical health. Former Vice President Kamala Harris took his place as the Democratic Nominee and was defeated by current President Donald Trump.
Questions around Biden’s cognitive abilities, which were most potently raised during his debate with Trump in June 2024, were reignited upon the release of the book “Orignal Sin” by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, which underlined the failure of the White House to control the narrative of Biden’s worsening condition.
