Former President Joe Biden has started a new phase of his treatment for prostate cancer, which includes radiation therapy and hormone treatment, a spokesperson confirmed to CNN on Wednesday. The news of the treatment plan was first reported by NBC News. A source told CNN that the 82-year-old former president began the treatment a few weeks ago, though his spokesperson did not provide a full timeline.
Diagnosis and Aggressiveness
Biden’s personal office revealed in May that he had been diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that had already spread to his bones. Two weeks after receiving the diagnosis, Biden told CNN that he was feeling optimistic: “The expectation is we’re going to be able to beat this. It’s not in any organ, it’s in – my bones are strong, it hadn’t penetrated. So, I’m feeling good.” He had previously begun a pill regimen to treat the cancer.
The aggressiveness of prostate cancer is typically determined by a Gleason score. Biden’s office announced a Gleason score of 9, which Dr. Benjamin Davies, a professor of urologic oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (who is not involved in the case), described at the time as “the most aggressive form of prostate cancer.” Dr. Davies noted that the cancer having spread to the bone “is very serious and not curable.” However, he provided a measure of hope, stating, “There is some good news here in the newer hormonal and chemotherapy therapies (that have come) into this space in the past few years which have shown impressive results and extended the longevity of patients significantly.” Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, a urologist with Orlando Health, also commented in May that even patients with high-risk prostate cancer “can live a pretty normal life and have a good quality of life, as long as the cancer is treated.”
Recent Skin Cancer Procedure
Last month, Biden also underwent Mohs surgery—a precise operation used to remove skin cancer lesions—on his forehead. This procedure is typically used to treat cancerous lesions that are fast-growing, have returned after previous treatment, or are located in important areas like the face. In 2023, while he was still president, Biden had a lesion removed from his chest which tested positive for basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer, which is typically slow-growing and curable. At that time, his physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, confirmed all cancerous tissue had been successfully removed.
Author’s Opinion
The public disclosure of former President Biden’s specific treatment plan—radiation and hormone therapy for an aggressive, metastatic disease—sets a high and commendable standard of transparency for public figures facing severe health issues. While the diagnosis itself is sobering, the public sharing of the Gleason score and the spread to the bones provides the necessary context for citizens to make informed assessments of his health challenges. This candor is a valuable service to the public, particularly in a politically polarized climate where the health of leaders is often a source of rumor and speculation.
Featured image credit: Heute
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