Former President Joe Biden Diagnosed With ‘Aggressive Form’ of Prostate Cancer

Former President Joe Biden was diagnosed with prostate cancer on Friday, May 16.

“Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms. On Friday he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone. While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management. The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians,” his office revealed in a statement on May 18 (via CBS News).

Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, according to the Mayo Clinic. It is usually found early and can grow slowly, with “most” who are diagnosed cured.

The top-ranked hospital also notes on its site that of the prostate cancer grades, 5 is considered “very high.” The Gleason score, along with the grade group, reveal how fast the cancer is growing. The Gleason score is determined by the pathologists’ evaluation of the prostate cancer cells from a prostate biopsy. A low grade is given to those cells that look similar to healthy ones, and a higher one to those that appear “very different.” The pathologist then adds the two most common grades (from 1 to 5) together. Scores from 6 and up are considered cancer, with 6 meaning the cancer is growing slowly and 10 quickly.

Biden, who is 82 years old (prostate cancer is most common after the age of 50, according to the Mayor Clinic), served as the 46th president of the United States from January 20, 2021, through January 20, 2025. Though he initially ran for a second term, he dropped out of the race in July 2024, with Kamala Harris ultimately running on the Democratic ticket against Donald Trump. Biden also served as the vice president for two terms alongside President Barack Obama from 2009 through 2017.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) when he dropped out of the presidential race.

That came after what Biden himself called a “bad night” when he debated Trump less than a month earlier. “No indication of any serious condition. I was exhausted. I didn’t listen to my instincts in terms of preparing, and I had a bad night,” he said in a sit-down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos at the beginning of July.

Biden’s diagnosis comes just over a week (on May 8) after his appearance on The View, alongside his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, for his first post-presidency interview.