How long has Biden had cancer? What to know about how prostate cancer spreads

What's adjacent for Biden aft crab diagnosis?

Understanding Biden's prostate crab diagnosis 02:44

Former President Joe Biden's diagnosis with an precocious signifier of prostate cancer that has metastasized, oregon spread, to his bones prompted an outpouring of concern and questions astir his condition. Those questions see however agelong the crab whitethorn person taken to make and whether helium was screened for it during earlier checkups. 

While it's unclear precisely however agelong Biden has had cancer, its accelerated dispersed is attributed to it being an assertive signifier of the disease. His crab was categorized arsenic having a Gleason people of 9, which places him successful Grade Group 5, the astir terrible category. The Gleason people is simply a strategy for grading the severity of prostate crab based connected investigation of compartment samples nether a microscope.

When prostate crab is much precocious and spreads, the bones are among the areas astir apt to beryllium affected. It can besides commonly spread to the lymph nodes, liver oregon lungs, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Unfortunately, late-stage crab diagnoses are not uncommon. A 2014 investigation from Cancer Research UK, for example, recovered that 46% of each cancers in that state were diagnosed astatine an precocious stage. A 2023 study published successful the diary Lancet Oncology recovered disruptions successful attraction amid the pandemic besides led to an summation successful late-stage diagnoses crossed astir each crab types, including prostate. 

Slower-growing cancers tin instrumentality years to make and beryllium detected, portion much assertive ones tin go evident much rapidly and besides dispersed to different parts of the assemblage quicker. 

Biden, who is present 82, did not acquisition prostate crab screening during his past aesculapian checkup portion successful office, successful February 2024, according to records released astatine the time. Experts accidental this is apt owed to that information that these screenings are not routinely recommended for men 70 years oregon older. 

"Doctors volition halt screening for prostate crab astatine 75 oregon so, due to the fact that aft that, the prostate cancers you typically prime up are precise dilatory growing, and truthful the harms of each of the investigating and attraction for thing that whitethorn not termination you — you're talking astir hazard versus benefit. It whitethorn not beryllium worthy the risk," Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News aesculapian contributor and editor-at-large for nationalist wellness astatine KFF Health News, explained on "CBS Mornings" Monday.

Instead, Biden's diagnosis came aft helium precocious saw a doc owed to urinary symptoms. A tiny nodule was recovered successful the prostate, which necessitated further evaluation, his bureau said past week. 

"Urinary symptoms are rather communal successful older men and are usually owed to benign conditions similar having an enlarged prostate," Gounder said. In this case, however, the investigating discovered cancer.

Gounder said the concern underscores the value of tailoring aesculapian decisions to the individual.

"He had caller symptoms and is functionally active, which justified a person look," she said. 

There person been advancements successful treating precocious prostate cancer, and Gounder said the attraction extremity successful a lawsuit similar this would beryllium to power the cancer, slowing its progression and preserving prime of life. Biden's benignant of crab is hormone-sensitive, which means it should respond to a testosterone-blocking treatment, Gounder said, adding that this mightiness beryllium combined with different medications oregon chemotherapy, depending connected the circumstantial case. 

Back successful 2019, Biden was diagnosed with benign enlargement of the prostate, oregon BPH. That December, his run released his aesculapian evaluation, which noted: "This diligent has been treated for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). This was initially treated with medicine and was past definitively treated with surgery. He has ne'er had prostate cancer."

BPH is precise communal successful older men, with astir 80% of men implicit 70 having it, according to Yale Medicine.

How bash doctors surface for prostate cancer?

Prostate crab investigating typically involves 2 methods: a prostate-specific antigen, oregon PSA, trial and a integer rectal exam, oregon DRE. A PSA trial is simply a benignant of humor trial that tin bespeak a higher accidental of prostate crab but is not a definitive diagnosis. A DRE involves a doc utilizing a gloved digit to consciousness for immoderate bumps connected the prostate via the rectum.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an autarkic sheet of nationalist experts, accidental the determination connected screening for prostate crab among men aged 55 to 69 years should beryllium an idiosyncratic 1 — and it recommends against PSA screening for men 70 and older.

"Many men volition acquisition imaginable harms of screening, including false-positive results that necessitate further investigating and imaginable prostate biopsy; overdiagnosis and overtreatment; and attraction complications, specified arsenic incontinence and erectile dysfunction," the task force's recommendation summary notes. "Clinicians should not surface men who bash not explicit a penchant for screening."

Prostate crab is common, 2nd lone to tegument crab arsenic the astir communal crab affecting males, according to the Cleveland Clinic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for each 100 males, 13 volition make prostate crab astatine immoderate constituent successful their lives.

In:
• Prostate Cancer
• Joe Biden
• Cancer