Donald Trump has responded with a statement following the announcement of Joe Biden’s ‘aggressive’ cancer diagnosis.
On Sunday, May 18, the office of the 82-year-old former president confirmed that Biden has been diagnosed with stage nine prostate cancer, which has metastasized to the bone.
The statement mentioned: “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 further explained: “While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.”
“The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
In response, his successor, President Donald Trump, has shared his own message regarding Biden’s health situation.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump expressed: “Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis.”
“We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”
This news arrives as concerns regarding the health of the former POTUS were prominent during his presidency and his campaign for a second term.
During his second run for the presidency, with just three months remaining in the campaign, Biden withdrew and endorsed former vice-president Kamala Harris.
His performance in a televised 90-minute debate against Trump raised concerns, prompting a denial from then White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre that Biden was suffering from Alzheimer’s.
In his address to his ‘fellow Americans,’ Biden stated that serving as President was the ‘greatest honor of my life’, and explained: “And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”
Biden, the 46th president of the United States, was elected on November 7, 2020, defeating Trump in the election.
His term concluded on January 20, when 78-year-old Trump regained the presidency by defeating Harris.
In February 2023, Biden underwent a procedure to remove a ‘basal cell carcinoma,’ a common type of skin cancer, from his chest.
Additionally, in November 2021, he had a polyp removed from his colon that was benign but potentially pre-cancerous.
Biden has been committed to reducing the cancer death rate, especially following the death of his eldest son Beau, who passed away from a glioblastoma brain tumor in 2015.
The Gleason score is a system used by medical professionals to evaluate prostate cancer, according to Cancer Research.
The grading suggests how similar the cancer cells are to normal cells and their potential for growth or aggression.
There are five grade groups, with Grade Group 1 being the least aggressive and Grade Group 5 being the most aggressive.
Given Biden’s Gleason score of nine, he falls into the highest category, indicating that the cells appear very abnormal and are likely to grow rapidly.
Nonetheless, since it is hormone-sensitive, doctors believe they can effectively manage his prognosis.