Former U.S. President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has metastasized to his bones, according to a statement released by his office on Sunday. The 82-year-old was diagnosed on Friday after experiencing worsening urinary symptoms and the discovery of a prostate nodule.
The statement noted that while the cancer is aggressive, it appears to be hormone-sensitive, which opens up several effective management options. Biden and his family are currently consulting with medical professionals to determine the best course of treatment.
The cancer was given a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5)—a classification that, according to the American Cancer Society, signals highly abnormal and potentially fast-growing cancer cells.
Prostate cancer is common in older men and often grows slowly. However, advanced or aggressive cases like Biden’s may require hormone therapy, which can control but not cure the disease.
Biden, who left office in January 2025 as the oldest president in U.S. history, has long faced public scrutiny over his age and health. Though he often dismissed concerns with the phrase, “Watch me,” doubts grew after a poor performance in a debate against Donald Trump led to his withdrawal from the 2024 re-election race. Vice President Kamala Harris later lost the general election to Trump.
Biden’s diagnosis comes amid renewed focus on his health, fueled by a forthcoming book, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’s Alex Thompson. The book details internal concerns within the Democratic Party about Biden’s capacity to serve.
Throughout his life, Biden has endured significant personal and medical challenges, including the death of his wife and daughter in a 1972 car crash, brain aneurysm surgeries in 1988, and the 2015 loss of his son Beau to brain cancer. In 2023, Biden had a basal cell carcinoma removed from his chest, along with other non-melanoma skin cancers over the years.
His current diagnosis adds another chapter to a life marked by both public service and personal resilience.
