Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that has spread to the bone, a spokesperson said on May 18.
While the diagnosis, which Biden received on May 16, indicates the former president has one of the worst forms of the disease, it “appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians,” the statement added.
More: Trump wishes Biden ‘a fast and successful recovery’ after prostate cancer diagnosis
Biden, who served as president from 2021 to 2025, abruptly ended his reelection bid last July, weeks after a halting performance during a debate against then Republican presidential 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; Trump, 78, broke that record when he defeated Harris in 2024. Biden previously served as vice president under former President Barack Obama and as a senator who was first elected to the office in 1972.
Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer for men, other than non-melanoma skin cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “It is also one of the leading causes of cancer death among men of all races,” the CDC says.
There were 236,659 new prostate cancer diagnoses in 2021, according to the most recent CDC data. In 2022, 33,363 men died of the disease.
Biden’s spokesperson revealed that the former president’s cancer has a Gleason score of 9, grade group 5, which the American Cancer Society describes as a type “most likely to grow and spread quickly.”
Trump wishes Biden ‘fast’ recovery
Support for Biden quickly poured in from across the political sphere after the news of his diagnosis.
President Donald Trump said in a statement with his wife Melania that they were “saddened” to hear about the diagnosis.
“We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery,” Trump wrote.
Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 presidential race after an acrimonious campaign.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who served under Biden and took over the Democratic nomination after he dropped out of the race last year, said in a statement with her husband that “we are hopeful for a full and speedy recovery.”
“Joe is a fighter – and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership,” Harris said.
Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., shared a social media message from another account stating “Politics aside, we wish him a speedy recovery!”
“Agreed 100%” Donald Trump Jr. wrote.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a cancer survivor and former chair of the Democratic National Committee, posted on social media that Biden is “a ferocious fighter, and I know he’ll handle this battle with strength and dignity.”
Biden received clean bill of health last year
Biden had a routine physical in February 2024 during the last year of his presidency. The doctor’s report said he was “a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male.”
The doctors said he was receiving treatment for sleep apnea and that all of his other medical conditions remain “stable and well controlled.”
A skin lesion was removed from Biden’s chest in 2023. Known as a basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer, his doctor said then that no further treatment was required.
This is a developing story. Check back for more information.
Contributing: Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joe Biden diagnosed with ‘aggressive form’ of prostate cancer
