Former United States President Joe Biden is undergoing radiation treatment and hormone therapy to fight prostate cancer that was diagnosed in May, his spokesperson said.
“As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President Biden is currently undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment,” Biden aide Kelly Scully said on Saturday.
The ex-president’s office announced in May that Biden had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that spread to his bones after he experienced urinary symptoms and a prostate nodule was found.
“Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places,” wrote Biden in a post on X after receiving the diagnosis in May. “Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”
Biden’s son Beau died of brain cancer in 2015.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men, according to the American Cancer Society.
It is particularly common in the elderly – about 80 percent of men more than 80 years of age have some cancerous cells in their prostate gland, research has estimated.
While it is highly treatable if discovered early, it is the second leading cause of cancer death in men, the organisation said.
Hormone therapy is a common treatment that can shrink tumours and slow cancer growth, but it is not a cure.
Prostate cancers are graded for aggressiveness using what is known as a Gleason score. The scores range from 6 to 10, with 8, 9 and 10 prostate cancers behaving more aggressively.
Biden’s office said his score was 9, suggesting his cancer is among the most aggressive but that the illness is hormone-sensitive, meaning it is likely to respond to treatment.
Biden, who turns 83 next month, in September underwent a procedure known as Mohs surgery to remove skin cancer lesions from his forehead.
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