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FORMER President Joe Biden has broken his silence after his shocking diagnosis of “aggressive” prostate cancer.
The 82-year-old ex-president’s illness has spread to his bones, his team revealed in a statement on Sunday.
After well-wishes for the former president poured in on social media, Biden broke his silence on the diagnosis on Monday morning.
“Cancer touches us all,” Biden wrote on X, paired with a picture of himself with his wife and their cat.
“Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places.
“Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”
Biden’s health update came after he was experiencing urinary symptoms.
During a medical exam, a prostate nodule was detected.
Biden’s team said the cancer appears to be hormone sensitive, meaning there’s a prospect it could be “effectively managed.”
Biden’s cancer was ranked nine under the Gleason grading system.
Cancers ranked nine and 10 are the most aggressive.
The president and his family are currently reviewing treatment options with his doctors.
Donald Trump, Biden’s predecessor and successor, was one of the first to lead the tributes to his former rival on Sunday.
“Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”
On Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked if Trump was worried about the quality of medical care provided in light of Biden’s diagnosis.
“Not as far as President Trump is concerned,” she told Fox News’ Peter Doocy.
“The White House physician we have here is phenomenal and the team of physicians that take care of the president, particularly the team at Walter Reed Medical Center, are great.”
Leavitt pointed out the fact that Trump had his physical exam recently.
“He’s in very good shape,” she said.
“He doesn’t stop. He doesn’t quit. He’s in great health and he trusts his physicians.”
What are the symptoms every man needs to know?
In most cases, prostate cancer doesn’t have any symptoms until the growth is big enough to put pressure on the urethra – that tube you pee through.
Symptoms include:
- Needing to urinate more often, especially at night
- Needing to rush to the toilet
- Difficulty in starting to pee
- Weak flow
- Straining and taking a long time while peeing
- Feeling that your bladder hasn’t emptied fully
Many men’s prostates get larger as they age because of the non-cancerous conditions, prostate enlargement, and benign prostatic hyperplasia.
In fact, these two conditions are more common than prostate cancer – but that doesn’t mean the symptoms should be ignored.
The signs that cancer has SPREAD include bone, back, or testicular pain, loss of appetite, and unexplained weight loss.
Biden’s vice president, Kamala Harris, and former president Barack Obama have also wished him well.
“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.”
NBC anchor Al Roker replied to Biden’s post on Monday and spoke about his own experience with prostate cancer in 2020.
“As I found out from my battle with prostate cancer, you are part of a group that no one wants to be part of, but knowing you, you will face this latest challenge with courage, humor and grace,” Roker wrote.
Biden’s diagnosis came just months after he left office.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis among men, according to the National Cancer Institute.
The five-year survival rate for prostate cancer that has spread is 28%, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Biden’s diagnosis comes three years after he had non-melanoma skin cancers removed.
“These lesions were completely excised, with clear margins,” officials said at the time in 2022.
The following year, Biden had a cancerous legion removed from his chest.
The finding was confirmed in a memo following his annual physical exam.
“All cancerous tissue was successfully removed,” Kevin O’Connor, the-then White House physician said at the time.
O’Connor revealed Biden didn’t need any further treatment.
Speculation about Biden’s fitness for office was rampant during his only term as president.
He was forced to abandon his re-election campaign in July 2024 weeks after a disastrous debate against Trump.
