Joe Biden battles for life as aggressive cancer spreads

Former U.S. President Joe Biden, 82, is set to undergo radiation therapy after doctors confirmed that his prostate cancer has aggressively spread to his bones.

According to a statement from his spokesperson on Saturday, the former president will also begin hormone therapy alongside the radiation treatment, which is expected to last five weeks. Biden has already started taking hormone medication in pill form.

The development follows his May announcement revealing the cancer’s spread, coming just weeks after doctors found a “small nodule” on his prostate during a routine medical examination.

“President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason Score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone,” his office stated.

A Gleason Score of 9 indicates one of the most aggressive forms of prostate cancer. However, Biden’s medical team noted that the disease appears to be hormone-sensitive, making it potentially manageable with treatment.

In recent months, Biden was also treated for skin cancer, and he was spotted at public events with a visible bandage on his forehead.

Now nearing his 83rd birthday, Biden remains the oldest man ever to have served as U.S. president. Health experts note that prostate issues are common among men of his age, with over half of all cases diagnosed in those older than 65.

The former president’s health has long been a topic of political discussion. Concerns over his age and fitness for office reportedly influenced his decision to drop out of the 2024 re-election race, paving the way for his former vice president, Kamala Harris, to lead the Democratic ticket.

Insiders within the party have since admitted that Biden’s advisers shielded his declining health from the public, maintaining that he was fit to run. Reports from The Washington Post suggest that the ex-president still feels bitter about stepping down, often debating with his aides about how to respond to current President Donald Trump’s actions and policies.

Since leaving office, Biden has focused on writing his memoir and laying plans for a presidential library.

His personal battle with cancer carries painful echoes of his late son, Beau Biden, who died of brain cancer in 2015 at age 46. The elder Biden has previously linked his son’s illness to exposure to military burn pits during his service in Iraq.en