Joe Biden has been diagnosed with “aggressive” prostate cancer
Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with a “aggressive” form of prostate cancer.
Former President Joe Biden’s diagnosis of what his office called “aggressive” form of prostate cancer on Sunday, May 18th brings attention to the illness that is diagnosed in hundreds of thousands of American men each year.
According to the statement, doctors discovered a “small nodule” in Biden’s prostate in his regular trial last week, and were diagnosed as Friday, 82. Cancer has been described as having a Gleason score of 9, indicating its aggression, spreading to the bone.
The former Democratic president and second-term vice president are considering treatment options with family and doctors, the statement said. The Gleason score, Grade Group 5, for 9-year-old cancer, is described by the American Cancer Society as the type “most likely to grow and expand.”
According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men, affecting one in eight men in the United States.
Here’s what you know about prostate cancer, including early signs, testing, risk factors, and survival rates.
What are the signs of prostate cancer in men?
The announcement said Biden had experienced “increased urinary symptoms” before his diagnosis. This coincides with the symptoms of prostate cancer at Cleveland Clinic. These symptoms include:
- Especially at night, you need to pee frequently, sometimes urgently
- The weak urine flow or flow begins and stops
- Pain or burning during urination
- Loss of bladder control
- Loss of intestinal control
- Painful ejaculation and erectile dysfunction
- Semen or urinary blood
- Lower, lower back and chest pain
How to test prostate cancer: DRE, PSA, MRI methods explained
According to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, digital rectal testing (DRE) is the most common screening test for prostate cancer. It involved a doctor who inserts a gloved finger into the rectum to determine if the prostate is enlarged or lumps, but that’s not a definitive test.
A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is a blood test that measures the level of antigens produced by the prostate. According to a laboratory affiliated with Harvard Medical School, higher levels of PSA in the blood can indicate prostate cancer and call it a useful screening tool for physicians, which is also used to plan treatments, determine treatment effectiveness, and monitor prostate growth. However, antigen levels can fluctuate and can be elevated as a result of infection, inflammation, enlarged prostate, aging, or ejaculation. Conversely, the lab adds that certain conditions, such as certain herbal medicines, supplements, and obesity, can lower PSA levels.
Other screening methods include MRI, transrectal ultrasound, and transurethral or transurethral biopsy.
What are the risk factors for prostate cancer?
According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 12.9% of men are diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lifetime. The Institute also stated that in 2022 there were an estimated 3,518,978 men living with prostate cancer in the United States.
According to the CDC, all men are at risk, but the most common risk factor is age. “The older a man is, the more likely he is to develop prostate cancer,” says the CDC.
Of the 100 American men, around 13 have prostate cancer in their lifetime, and about two or three men die from prostate cancer. Men with a family history of prostate cancer are also at high risk, with Black or African American men more than twice as likely to die from prostate cancer and get the disease at a younger age than other men, and are often diagnosed as a more advanced stage of cancer when discovered.
How quickly does prostate cancer spread?
As with all medical diagnoses, treatment and survival can vary widely from person to person.
As with the former president, prostate cancer spreads or spreads to other parts of the body, the American Cancer Society says.
According to the National Cancer Institute, non-interfering prostate cancer has a 5-year relative survival rate of 97.9%, but according to Mayo Clinic, it is a prostate cancer that metastasizes and spreads to other parts of the body.
“Bone metastasis can be painful and can cause other issues such as fractures (breaks), spinal cord compression (when the tumor is pressed with the spinal cord), or interhypertensive calcium levels.
What is prostate cancer treatment? Some hormone therapy is a choice.
According to the American Cancer Society, men die of prostate cancer in about one person, but most men diagnosed with the disease do not. More than 3.3 million US men who were diagnosed with prostate cancer at one point are still alive, according to a January 2025 fact sheet from the Cancer Institute.
Management of the disease may include surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
contribution: Zach Anderson, Joey Garrison, James Powell, Thao Nguyen; USA TODAY
Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA Today. You can contact her kapalmer@usatoday.com And with x @Kathrynplmr.
