Former President Joe Biden was diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, according to a statement from his personal office Sunday afternoon.
Biden, 82, was diagnosed on Friday with prostate cancer after getting a biopsy earlier this week to follow up on “increasing urinary symptoms.”
“The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians,” the statement reads.
The statement is limited, and a physician’s report has not been shared publicly. Here is everything to know so far.
How aggressive is the cancer?
The statement from Biden’s personal office says the prostate cancer has a Gleason score of 9 and in the Grade Group 5, the highest grade group of abnormality according to the American Cancer Society.
After a biopsy, a pathologist assigns a grade to the sample based on how abnormal the cancer cells look under a microscope, with higher grades indicating a higher degree of danger. Gleason scores range from 6-10.
The statement did not indicate the stage of Biden’s cancer, but it is likely stage IV based on the fact that it has spread to his bones.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,” reads the statement.
A hormone-sensitive cancer means that the cancer cells essentially feed off of testosterone to grow. Reducing the amount of the specific hormones, in this case male hormones, in the patient’s system will slow the cancer growth.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were nearly 237,000 new cases of prostate cancer in the United States in 2021. In 2022, 33,363 men died from prostate cancer.
More than 70% of prostate cancers are detected at the localized stage, meaning that the cancer has not spread outside of the prostate.
Only 8% of new prostate cancer cases were detected at the stage where the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
What does “metastasis to the bone” mean?
The personal office statement also characterizes the cancer as “metastasis to the bone,” meaning that the cancer is so aggressive that it has spread to his bones.
According to the American Cancer Society, bone metastasis can be very painful, often associated with fractures or even spinal cord compression if a tumor presses on the cord.
Bone metastasis can also lead to higher blood calcium levels, which can be dangerous and even life-threatening.
There are a handful of drug treatment options that can be used in metastasis to the bone to slow down bone cell growth, relieving pain and higher calcium levels caused by the cancer. These drugs can also help strengthen bones in men who get cancer hormone therapy.
What are the treatment options?
For patients with cancer that are at a high risk of spreading and growing, a combination of radiation therapy and hormone therapy is a likely course of treatment.
Intensity modulated radiation therapy, or IMRT, is the most common type of external radiation for prostate cancers according to the American Cancer Society.
IMRT uses precise computer calculations to target the prostate and revolve around the patient to give high levels of radiation from multiple angles.
Hormonal therapy is used to reduce the level of male hormones in the body to stop fueling cancer cell growth. These therapies can be administered through injection or pills.
Side-effects of hormonal treatments include osteoporosis or bone thinning, loss of muscle mass, mood wings, hot flashes, mood changes, and mental decline.
A surgical procedure to remove the prostate is also an option, but this would not remove the cancer cells that have metastasized to other parts of the body.
BIDEN DIAGNOSED WITH ‘AGGRESSIVE FORM’ OF PROSTATE CANCER THAT HAS SPREAD TO HIS BONES
What is the survival rate?
Survival rates for cancer are purely estimates and based on data from other patients recorded by the National Cancer Institute.
The five-year survival rate, or the likelihood of being alive in the next five years, for metastatic prostate cancer is about 37% based upon NCI data.
