Experts say Joe Biden’s cancer can no longer be treated but it can be treated
Former President Joe Biden’s cancer cells are ranked with a “high Gleason score.” This is what he means to treat him.
President Joe Biden’s career ended in January after decades of civil service. On Sunday, May 18th, the former president’s spokesman, 82, announced that Biden had a “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that spreads to the bone.
According to Jonathan Skinner, a researcher of healthcare economics at Dartmouth University, Biden’s diagnosis may have felt shocking, but that’s not a medical surprise. Skinner says that prostate cancer is one of the most common forms of illness in men.
Still, it’s a somewhat familiar story. A person finally retires after spending life only to struggle and get sick.
What keeps experts confused is understanding the complex links between retirement and mortality rates for many Americans. Research in this field is contradictory. Skinner says that retirement doesn’t necessarily mean a higher mortality rate and no one needs to worry that retirement could lead to a cancer diagnosis. However, evidence suggests that retirement and health are interactive. Gender, existing health status, and other demographic factors have a major impact on these relationships.
“There’s not much consensus on whether retirement is good or bad for your health,” Skinner says. “If you’re excited about retirement as a result… it’s probably a good sign of your health, because what can make you happy and give you more time to do what you want is good for your health.”
On the other hand, if quitting your job is filled with existential fear, or if you don’t have social support to manage costs and stay happy without pay, retirement may not be the right choice for your health, he says.
Previous studies have shown that retirement is associated with higher mortality. A 2018 working paper by the National Economic Research Bureau found that the death rate for men increased by about 2% at age 62. This allows you to start collecting social security at the same age as US citizens and often withdraw full-time jobs. For women, the increase in mortality was small and not statistically significant, the researchers found.
However, retirement early does not have an accurate link to mortality. A 2020 study by Dutch researchers found that resigning on time was associated with a higher risk of death. On the other hand, leaving previous work could not be positively or negatively related to mortality.
Furthermore, consider the fact that the median age for cancer diagnosis is 67 years old in the United States. A cohort of people has been passing letters of resignation while experiencing high risk of life-threatening diagnosis. It could be a fatal combination for many Americans.
And we can’t forget about “unwilling retirement,” Skinner says when people have to quit their jobs at different ages earlier than they want for their health. Biden, for example, was advised by running for another term for his health.
“When people aren’t feeling sick… it’s not retirement that causes health,” Skinner says.
On the other hand, some may say it’s better to stop working early to enjoy life before a healthy person gets sick. For example, @bill_retired in Tiktok claims that retirees take longer to schedule exercise, manage healthy diets and maintain regular doctor visits.
“We can manage our illness more aggressively,” he said in a video posted to 56,000 followers. “We can manage our recovery at our own pace.”
The relationship between retirement and mortality can also be explained by what is called the “healthy worker effect.” Healthy people tend to continue working while listening to their bodies as a sign of stopping work. In reality, time-related retirement is often due to negative health issues. This means that these exits can lead to death sooner or later.
This is important because Americans, especially women, live longer in general. In other words, they approach their seniors. But staying in the workforce for a long time may be a matter of how our society feels, says Skinner. Some people may think their lives are worthless if they are not working.
In any case, Skinner recommends trusting your gut when it comes to cutting your retirement cake or not.
