FORMER President Joe Biden is undergoing radiation therapy for the aggressive form of cancer he was diagnosed with in May.
His spokesperson confirmed the new treatment plan on Saturday, noting that the 82-year-old has already started at-home medication.
“As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President Biden is currently undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment,” the former president’s spokesperson said on Saturday.
The treatment is scheduled to last five weeks and he has already been taking hormone medication in pill form, the official said.
They added that Biden, who turns 83 in November, is “doing well”.
The latest turn in his treatment comes after the 46th President confirmed in May that the prostate cancer had spread to his bones.
His personal office confirmed that he is suffering from an advanced form of the disease.
A diagnosis was made after doctors discovered a prostate nodule when Biden complained of urinary symptoms.
At the time, his team said that while it is “aggressive” and looks “very abnormal”, the cancer appeared to be hormone-sensitive, meaning there would be the prospect for the “effective management” of his illness.
“He was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone,” the team said on May 18.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.”
The statement added that he and his doctors were assessing all available treatment options.
The Gleason score of 9 means that the cancer cells are highly abnormal and have the capacity to grow quickly.
Metastasized cancer is much harder to treat than localized cancer because it can be hard for drugs to reach all the tumors and completely root out the disease.
However, when prostate cancers need hormones to grow, as in Biden’s case, they can be vulnerable to treatment that keeps hormones away from the tumors.
News of his latest treatment regime comes after he was seen with a surgery scar on the side of his head in August which was later revealed to have been from undergoing treatment for skin cancer.
What are the symptoms every man needs to know?
In most cases, prostate cancer doesn’t have any symptoms until the growth is big enough to put pressure on the urethra – that tube you pee through.
Symptoms include:
- Needing to urinate more often, especially at night
- Needing to rush to the toilet
- Difficulty in starting to pee
- Weak flow
- Straining and taking a long time while peeing
- Feeling that your bladder hasn’t emptied fully
Many men’s prostates get larger as they age because of the non-cancerous conditions, prostate enlargement, and benign prostatic hyperplasia.
In fact, these two conditions are more common than prostate cancer – but that doesn’t mean the symptoms should be ignored.
The signs that cancer has SPREAD include bone, back, or testicular pain, loss of appetite, and unexplained weight loss.
Biden’s spokeswoman confirmed he had received Mohs surgery, which is performed to remove skin cancer lesions.
While in office in 2022, the Democrat had non-melanoma skin cancers removed which was followed the next year with the removal of a cancerous legion from his chest.
That finding was confirmed in a memo after his annual physical exam.
“All cancerous tissue was successfully removed,” Kevin O’Connor, the-then White House physician said at the time, with no further treatment required.
The former President who has largely remained out of the spotlight since handing over to Donald Trump in January, previously thanked well-wishers for their support with the latest diagnosis.
“Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places,” he wrote on X in May alongside a picture of himself and Jill with their pet cat.
“Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”
The Biden family have been vocal about their cancer struggles with several members diagnosed with the disease, including the former First Lady who has previously had two cancerous lesions removed.
Biden has also often spoken about the death of his son Beau from glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer, when he was just 46.
More to follow…For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun.
Former President Joe Biden was spotted with a cut on his head as he walked out of church in Delaware in late August[/caption]
He was spotted with a bandage as he attended a funeral at the end of August[/caption]
