Biden was seen last week by doctors after urinary symptoms and a prostate nodule was found.
Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer days after a small nodule was found during a routine physical, a spokesperson for the former president confirmed Sunday.
Biden was seen last week by doctors after experiencing urinary symptoms. A prostate nodule was found. He was officially diagnosed with prostate cancer Friday, with the cancer cells having spread “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 spokesperson said in a statement. “The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
The nodule was found Tuesday and “necessitated further evaluation.”
The detection of nodules in the prostate generally requires a further exam by a urologist to rule out prostate cancer.
Prostate issues are relatively common for men of Biden’s age, the New York Times noted while reporting on the findings during Biden’s physical.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society.
Biden has had several brushes with cancer in the past. Before assuming the office of the president, he had several non-melanoma skin cancers removed using a technique known as Mohs surgery. The surgery involves cutting thin layers of skin one at a time to preserve healthy tissue while removing cancerous cells.
Biden also had a cancerous lesion removed from his chest in February 2023.
“As expected, the biopsy confirmed that the small lesion was basal cell carcinoma,” White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor said at the time. “All cancerous tissue was successfully removed.”
Biden left office as the oldest president in U.S. history. The later years of his term were dogged by concerns about his age and health.
In an interview with “The View” to mark the 100th day in office of his successor, Donald Trump, both Joe and his wife Jill Biden denied claims that Biden had suffered a decline during the presidency.
“They are wrong. There’s nothing to sustain that,” Joe Biden said in response.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
