Things to know about Biden's prostate cancer diagnosis

Former President Joe Biden’s bureau said Sunday that he has been diagnosed with assertive prostate crab and is reviewing attraction options with his doctors.

Biden was having expanding urinary symptoms and was seen past week by doctors who recovered a prostate nodule. On Friday, helium was diagnosed with prostate crab and the crab cells person dispersed to the bone, his bureau said successful a statement.

When caught early, prostate crab is highly survivable, but it is besides the second-leading origin of crab decease successful men. About 1 successful 8 men volition beryllium diagnosed implicit their beingness with prostate cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.

Here are immoderate things to cognize astir prostate crab that has spread.

What is the prostate gland?

The prostate is portion of the reproductive strategy successful men. It makes fluid for semen. It’s located beneath the bladder and it wraps astir the urethra, the conduit that carries urine and semen retired done the penis.

How superior is Biden's cancer?

Biden's crab has dispersed to the bone, his bureau said. That makes it much superior than localized oregon early-stage prostate cancer.

Outcomes person improved successful caller decades and patients tin expect to unrecorded with metastatic prostate crab for 4 oregon 5 years, said Dr. Matthew Smith of Massachusetts General Brigham Cancer Center.

“It’s precise treatable, but not curable,” Smith said.

What are the attraction options?

Prostate crab tin beryllium treated with drugs that little levels of hormones successful the assemblage oregon halt them from getting into prostate crab cells. The drugs tin dilatory down the maturation of crab cells.

“Most men successful this concern would beryllium treated with drugs and would not beryllium advised to person either country oregon radiation therapy," Smith said.

What is simply a Gleason score?

Prostate cancers are graded for aggressiveness utilizing what’s known arsenic a Gleason score. The scores scope from 6 to 10, with 8, 9 and 10 prostate cancers behaving much aggressively. Biden’s bureau said his people was 9, suggesting his crab is among the astir aggressive.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives enactment from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely liable for each content.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.