In very sad news out of Washington, President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with a very aggressive form of prostate cancer. This disease has unfortunately metastasized into his bones. The diagnosis was made on Friday following an emergency room visit where he complained of “worsening urinary symptoms.” Biden and his family are just beginning to explore treatment options as they deal with this significant health development.
Her prostate cancer had a Gleason score of 9, putting it in a category of the most aggressive forms of this disease. The Gleason classification system scores cancer from 6 to 10, with higher scores referring to the more aggressive forms of the disease. Medical professionals even told NBC News that it’s unusual for even a high-grade cancer to be missed on previous scans. We know that that can still go sideways.
A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test is the most popular diagnostic test used to screen for prostate cancer. This test could have found Biden’s cancer while he was still in office. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the prognosis for late-stage prostate cancer is a low average five-year survival rate. In reality, that rate is just 28 percent.
Dr. Howard P. Forman shared his take on what Biden’s diagnosis means moving forward.
“Gleason grade 9 would have had an elevated PSA level for some time before this diagnosis. And he must have had a PSA test numerous times before. This is odd.” – Howard P Forman
That’s serious cause for alarm. Or it’s possible that Biden has a rarer variant of prostate cancer that standard tests might be more prone to overlook. Read more from our experts about how even someone like Biden, with his wealth, age and access, could still have cancer and be advancing without knowing. They say this kind of thing is very rare.
Peter Nelson, a medical oncologist and expert in prostate cancer, pointed out that type of aggressive, rapid advancing PC progression is real.
“It is possible for prostate cancer to develop and then spread in a very short time span – by short, within one to two years.” – Peter Nelson
Though sadness for Biden should be the only feeling, news of his diagnosis has raised some important issues around health transparency and public trust. Former President Donald Trump has publicly suggested that Biden’s condition may have been concealed during his presidency, claiming that “doctors who had examined Biden while in office were ‘not telling the facts.’”
Former President Trump further inflamed the discourse by suggesting that the timing of Biden’s diagnosis was suspect.
“I’m surprised that the public wasn’t notified a long time ago.” – Donald Trump
Medical professionals have recently called attention to the inconsistent screening practices, especially for elderly patients. Daniel W. Lin provided important context to the confounding issues that make PSA testing in men over 50 a really complicated topic.
“This takes a long time. It can take years to get this level of danger.” – Donald Trump
That’s kind of you — thank you. Biden took to social media to thank everyone for their well-wishes. He reiterated that “cancer touches us all” and opened with reflections on the resilience he and his wife Jill found during dark days.
“There are screening controversies with the use of PSA, and many medical groups do not recommend PSA testing after 70 or 75 years of age, although others recommend based on life expectancy or state of health rather than age cut-points.” – Daniel W Lin
As the public digests this momentous announcement, Biden’s health will very much be an ongoing concern. His personal health—both physical and psychological—is already a matter of public concern. This review could not be more timely, with an explosive new book claiming that his inner circle orchestrated a cover-up of his true health condition while he served in office.
“Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places.” – Joe Biden
As the public absorbs this significant news, Biden’s health will likely continue to be scrutinized. This situation comes at a time when his physical and mental well-being was already under examination due to an upcoming book suggesting an alleged cover-up by his inner circle regarding his health status while in office.
