Josh Friedman , 2025-05-19 15:51:00
Key takeaways:
- Former President Joe Biden announced he has been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer.
- More than 310,000 men are expected to be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2025.
Editor’s note: This is a developing news story. Please check back soon for updates.
Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer, his office announced on Sunday.
“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,” the statement read, according to NBC News.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,” it continued. “The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
John Lynam, DO, DFACOS, urologist at Advanced Urology Institute and clinical assistant professor and founding faculty member at Orlando Osteopathic College of Medicine, noted the “seriousness” of Biden’s diagnosis and said a cure is “not likely possible, but there are treatments available to manage symptoms and potentially prolong life.”
John Lynam
“Former President Biden’s diagnosis underscores the importance of regular health check-ups, lab work and annual physical exams,” Lynam told Healio. “It’s a reminder that prostate cancer can be aggressive, and that early detection is key. Moreover, his openness about his condition may encourage others to prioritize their health and seek regular screenings.”
Healio previously reported prostate cancer incidence has continued to increase in the United States, according to American Cancer Society’s Cancer Statistics 2025 report.
Prostate cancer is projected to have the second most diagnoses — reaching 313,780 — among all malignancy types this year, and it is estimated to cause more than 35,000 deaths.
“This news is a reminder about the tragic impact of prostate cancer in the U.S., where about one in eight men will be diagnosed over their lifetime with prostate cancer,” American Cancer Society (ACS) said in a statement. “Although it is a highly survivable disease when caught in early stages, it is the second leading cause of cancer death in men. Early detection is key, and we are concerned given the 5% year-over-year increase in diagnosis of men with more advanced disease. We can and must do more to prevent late-stage diagnosis and death from prostate cancer. ACS and ACS [Cancer Action Network] are increasing our efforts in the progress against prostate cancer and removing barriers to early detection is critical.”
Alexander Kutikov, MD, FACS, chair of the department of urology at Fox Chase Cancer Center at Temple Health, told Healio that approximately 8% of prostate cancer cases are diagnosed as metastatic.
Alexander Kutikov
“While the diagnosis is serious, it’s often manageable,” he said. “With modern treatment options, many men live for years, often with excellent quality of life.”
“It’s always difficult to hear that someone, especially a public figure who has recently retired, is facing a new cancer diagnosis. That said, there’s real reason for hope,” Kutikov added. “We now have a range of highly effective therapies for metastatic prostate cancer, and more are emerging each year. Indeed, we went from one FDA-approved drug to more than 10 different agents since docetaxel was approved in 2004. One recent example is lutetium Lu 177 vipivotide tetraxetan [Pluvicto, Novartis], a radioligand therapy that was just approved for earlier use in the disease course. At Fox Chase Cancer Center and Temple Health, we increasingly use these types of agents as part of personalized, targeted care — they’re changing outcomes for many patients.”
However, Healio recently reported that nearly 70% of men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer do not receive recommended first-line treatments with androgen receptor pathway inhibitors and/or chemotherapy in combination with androgen deprivation therapy.
These treatments have extended OS for these patients from less than 3 years to about 50-60 months, Neeraj Agarwal, MD, FASCO, professor of medicine and presidential endowed chair of cancer research at University of Utah’s Huntsman Cancer Institute, previously told Healio.
Biden thanked his supporters in a post on X.
“Cancer touches us all,” he wrote. “Like so many of you, Jill [Biden] and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”
ACS credited Biden for helping launch Through the Cancer Moonshot initiative, which “prioritized both government investment in the cancer fight, as well as promoted public-private partnerships to advance progress against the disease,” the society said in a statement.
Additionally, ACS said his call for public-private partnership helped spur “Improving Mortality from Prostate Cancer Together (IMPACT) initiative to reduce death rates from prostate cancer in all demographics and disparities for Black men by 2035 through advocacy, patient support and research.”
“We stand with Former President Biden and Former First Lady Dr. Jill Biden as they face this diagnosis,” ACS said.
Kutikov and Lynam offered their support, too, but Kutikov highlighted the importance of the public and other physicians not overreacting to the news.
“The [American Urological Association] recommends prostate cancer screening for men ages 55 to 69, with a focus on shared decision making,” he said. “The challenge is balancing the risk of overdiagnosis — identifying indolent cancers that would never cause harm — with underdetection of the few that are aggressive. A diagnosis in someone in their 80s, like President Biden, should not be seen as a reason to expand screening efforts, as life expectancy and other health risks must be considered. And screening isn’t perfect; aggressive cancers can sometimes be missed, which may have been the case here.
“Most prostate cancers diagnosed today are slow-growing and unlikely to spread. While a small percentage can be aggressive and require treatment, that does not mean every cancer needs intervention. Nearly 50% of men diagnosed each year are eligible for active surveillance, where the disease is monitored rather than treated. It’s important for the public to understand that the existence of aggressive cancers doesn’t mean we can always prevent them — nor should it lead us to overtreat the majority that are not life-threatening.”
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