Former United States President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, his office has said.
Biden, 82, was diagnosed on Friday after doctors discovered a prostate nodule, his office said in a statement released on Sunday.
The former president was taken in for examination after experiencing “increasing urinary symptoms”, the statement said.
“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 President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
Biden’s age and health were key concerns among US voters during his time as president, and ultimately torpedoed his bid for a second term.
After a halting performance in the first presidential debate in June 2024, Biden bowed to mounting pressure to end his re-election campaign.
Biden’s Democratic Party then named then-Vice President Kamala Harris as its nominee in November’s presidential election, which she lost to Donald Trump.
Trump, a fierce critic of Biden who continues to blame the former president for many of the US’s economic and foreign challenges, said on social media that he was saddened by the news and that he and the first lady “wish Joe a fast and successful recovery”.
Harris said she and her family were keeping the Bidens in “our hearts and prayers”.
“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 said.
Former US President Barack Obama, whom Biden served under as vice president, extended his sympathies and hailed the veteran politician’s efforts to advance cancer research.
“Nobody has done more to find breakthrough treatments for cancer in all its forms than Joe, and I am certain he will fight this challenge with his trademark resolve and grace,” Obama said.
“We pray for a fast and full recovery.”
