Former US President Biden diagnosed with 'aggressive' prostate cancer

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Item 1 of 2 U.S. President Joe Biden arrives at the Roosevelt Room to deliver remarks about the jobs report and the state of the economy at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 10, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo

[1/2]U.S. President Joe Biden arrives at the Roosevelt Room to deliver remarks about the jobs report and the state of the economy at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 10, 2025. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

Biden, family reviewing treatment options
Biden's health was scrutinized amid 2024 reelection bid and debate performance

May 18 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an "aggressive form" of prostate cancer that has metastasized to the bone, his office said in a statement on Sunday.

Biden, 82, was diagnosed on Friday after having experienced urinary symptoms, and he and his family are reviewing treatment options with doctors, according to the statement.

"While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management," his office said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. President Donald Trump has repeatedly berated Biden since he took office in January.

Biden, who served as president from 2021 to 2025, abruptly ended his bid for reelection last July, weeks after a halting performance during a debate against Republican candidate Donald Trump prompted panic among his fellow Democrats. Vice President Kamala Harris took over as the party's nominee but lost in November to Trump.

Biden's physical health and mental acuity drew intense media scrutiny even before the debate. At the time of his election, Biden was the oldest person to win the presidency.

Trump, 78, broke that record when he defeated Harris last year.

Some prominent Democrats have recently acknowledged that it was an error to advance Biden as the nominee, given widespread concerns among voters about his age. Long before the debate, Reuters/Ipsos polls showed a majority of Americans, including most Democrats, believed Biden was too old to serve a second term.

"It was a mistake for Democrats to not listen to the voters earlier," Democratic U.S. Senator Chris Murphy told NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday morning, before Biden's diagnosis was announced.

Biden lost a son, Beau Biden, in 2015 due to brain cancer.

In 2022, Biden revived an Obama-era program known as Cancer Moonshot, seeking to reduce the death rate from cancer by at least 50% over the next 25 years.

Reporting by Nandita Bose, Costas Pitas, Steve Holland and Joseph Ax; Editing by Paul Simao, Colleen Jenkins and Rod Nickel

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