Former President Joe Biden diagnosed with prostate cancer

Updated May 19, 2025 at 08:47 AM ET

Former President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, which has metastasized to the bone, according to a statement from his personal office.

Biden, 82, was seen for further tests last week after a finding of a prostate nodule.

The cancer has a Gleason score of 9, representing a more aggressive case. (Gleason scores combine how many cancerous cells are seen in a needle-biopsy tissue sample, and how aggressive the cells appear to be.)

"While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management," according to the statement, which says Biden and his family are reviewing treatment options.

For U.S. men, prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death and the most common cancer other than non-melanoma skin cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Biden left office in January after finishing his first term as president. Facing intense scrutiny over his age, he decided over the summer to drop out of the 2024 presidential race and endorse then-Vice President Kamala Harris.

Biden speaks with attendees as he arrives ahead of the late Pope Francis' funeral ceremony at St Peter's Square at the Vatican on April 26.

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Mandel Ngan

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AFP via Getty Images

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Biden commented publicly on his diagnosis on Monday morning, writing in a post on X that "cancer touches us all."

"Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places," he wrote, alongside a selfie of the pair with their cat, Willow. "Thank you for lifting us up with love and support."

As vice president, Biden led the Cancer Moonshot initiative launched during former President Barack Obama's tenure one year after Biden's son Beau died of brain cancer. Biden reignited the project after he became president, vowing to dramatically reduce the cancer death rate.

"We can do this. I promise you, we can do this," Biden said at the White House in 2022. "All those we lost, all those we miss — we can end cancer as we know it."

President Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Sunday that he and first lady Melania Trump 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," he wrote.

Harris said in a post on X that she and her husband, Doug Emhoff, were saddened to hear of Biden's diagnosis.

"Joe is a fighter — and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership," Harris wrote. "We are hopeful for a full and speedy recovery."

Joe Hernandez and Rachel Treisman contributed to this report.

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