Biden was diagnosed with prostate cancer Friday, with the cancer cells having spread “to the bone.”
WASHINGTON — Former President Joe Biden on Monday gave his first public statement after being diagnosed with an ‘aggressive’ form of prostate cancer.
“Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places,” Biden wrote on X. “Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”
The post was accompanied by a photo of Biden, his wife Jill and their cat Willow.
Biden, 82, was diagnosed days after a spokesperson confirmed that a nodule was discovered on his prostate during a routine physical.
He was officially diagnosed with prostate cancer Friday, with the cancer cells having spread “to the bone.” His office gave details about the diagnosis Sunday.
“It’s very treatable, but not curable,” Dr. Matthew Smith of Massachusetts General Brigham Cancer Center told the Associated Press. “Most men in this situation would be treated with drugs and would not be advised to have either surgery or radiation therapy.”
A spokesperson for the former president said Sunday that Biden was still determining how he would treat the disease.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
Trump took to his social media website Sunday to express his sympathy.
“Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis,” he wrote. “We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society.
Biden’s diagnosis comes months after he left the White House as the oldest president in U.S. history, where he had been dogged by questions about his health, both mental and physical.
In an interview with “The View” to mark the 100th day in office of his successor, Donald Trump, both Joe and his wife Jill Biden denied claims that Biden had suffered a decline during the presidency.
“They are wrong. There’s nothing to sustain that,” Joe Biden said in response.
Biden has had several brushes with cancer in the past. Before assuming the office of the president, he had several non-melanoma skin cancers removed using a technique known as Mohs surgery. The surgery involves cutting thin layers of skin one at a time to preserve healthy tissue while removing cancerous cells.
Biden also had a cancerous lesion removed from his chest in February 2023.
“As expected, the biopsy confirmed that the small lesion was basal cell carcinoma,” White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor said at the time. “All cancerous tissue was successfully removed.”
