Former US president Joe Biden is receiving radiation and hormone treatments for prostate cancer discovered in May, according to a spokesperson’s statement on Saturday.“As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President Biden is currently undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment,” the spokesperson confirmed, as quoted by AFP.
The 82-year-old former president’s office revealed in May that Biden had been diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer that had spread to his bones, following urinary symptoms and the discovery of a prostate nodule. “Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places,” Biden, whose son Beau Biden succumbed to cancer in 2015, wrote on X platform at the time.“Thank you for lifting us up with love and support,” he added (at the time).Biden’s health became a significant concern following a publication that alleged his deteriorating condition during his campaign for a second presidential term against Donald Trump.In July 2024, following a poor debate performance against Trump, Biden withdrew from the race and supported vice president Kamala Harris’s presidential bid. Harris subsequently lost to Trump, who commenced his second term in January.The American Cancer Society identifies prostate cancer as the most prevalent cancer among men. The condition is notably frequent in elderly men, with studies indicating approximately 80 percent of men over 80 have cancerous cells in their prostate gland.Despite being highly treatable when detected early, it ranks as the second leading cause of cancer mortality in men, according to the organisation. Hormone therapy, while effective in reducing tumours and slowing cancer progression, does not provide a cure.
