Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an ‘aggressive form’ of prostate cancer, according to a statement released by his office on Sunday. Biden, 82, was diagnosed on Friday, after he saw a doctor last week for urinary symptoms. The former US president and his family are now reviewing treatment options, with the cancer cells now having spread to the bone.
Prostate cancers are ranked on a ‘Gleason score’ that measures, on a scale of one to 10, how the cancerous cells look compared with normal cells. Biden’s office said his score was nine, suggesting his cancer is among the most aggressive. Metastasised cancer is much harder to treat than localised cancer because it can be hard for drugs to reach all the tumours and completely root out the disease.
However, the former president’s office says that ‘the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, which allows for effective management.’ Biden, of course, has dealt with cancer before.
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