The 82-year-old Democrat (his son Beau Biden died of cancer in 2015) was diagnosed with the disease Friday after he experienced symptoms of urine and found a prostate nodule.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive and can be managed effectively. The president and his family are reviewing treatment options with doctors,” it continued.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who has long ridiculed political rival Biden for his cognitive abilities, said he was “sad” by the news.
“We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and our family, and hope that Joe will recover quickly and successfully.”
“Joe is a fighter,” said Biden Vice President Kamala Harris, who intervened in a Democratic candidate in a fight with Trump after Biden withdraws from last year’s presidential election.
She continued: “I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience and optimism that has always defined his life and leadership. We hope to be able to recover comprehensively and quickly.”
Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men, and the American Cancer Society reports that one in eight men in the United States have been diagnosed with cancer throughout their lives.
Although it can be detected early, it is the second leading cause of cancer death in men, the group said.
Hormone therapy is a common treatment that can reduce tumors and slow cancer growth, but it is not curable.
According to the statement, Biden’s cancer was found to have a score of 9 (grade 5).
According to the American Cancer Society, what looks “very abnormal” prostate cancer is assigned a rating of 5. Gleason scored as high as 10, indicating the severity of Biden’s disease.
“Look at me”
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Biden became the oldest U.S. president in history in January and was plagued by problems including Democratic voters, his health and age for most of his tenure — and whether he could handle the office’s demands.
His answer was quick: “Look at me.”
He was forced to retire last July after a disastrous debate on Trump as he feared his decline and cognitive abilities surged.
Support for Harris rose when he was on the plate, but she eventually lost to Trump.
Biden beat Trump in a 2020 poll, insisting he could have won the 2024 election, but problems have long erupted in responses from employees and major Democrats to his decline.
Their upcoming release of a new book about his “disastrous” choice, as well as a publication last week, recorded him hesitant and struggled to recall key events and dates.
Biden’s life is marked by a personal tragedy. In 1972, his first wife and young daughter were killed in a car accident.
His son, Beau Biden, died in 2015 from an aggressive brain cancer at the age of 46, and the loss has touched many Americans.
After Beau Biden’s death, then-President Barack Obama launched the Cancer Moonlight to honor the disease in the United States, serving Biden and then his vice president and leading the work.
Biden said at the time: “It’s personal to me.”
“But it’s also personal for almost every American and millions around the world. We all know that someone has cancer or is trying to beat it.”
“No one does more to find breakthrough treatments for cancer in all forms,” Obama said Sunday.
He added in a statement on X: “I believe he will respond to this challenge with his trademark determination and grace.”
A Senate report shows that Trump’s administration cut cancer research funding by 31% in the first three months of 2025 compared to the same period last year.
Americans in the capital Washington expressed regret for Sunday’s diagnosis.
Washington resident Ariale Booker said her mother and grandmother died of cancer, calling it “heartbreaking.”
“I think it’s really sad,” she told AFP.
“His last few years, his life was really hard.”
