WASHINGTON: Joe Biden expressed his gratitude to Americans on Monday for their “love and support” after the former US president said he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The weekend announcement that the 82-year-old had been diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer, and that it had spread to his bones, sparked an outpouring of good wishes, including from political rival President Donald Trump, Biden’s Vice President Kamala Harris and ordinary Americans.
“Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places,” Biden, whose son Beau died of cancer in 2015, posted on X with a photograph of him and his wife.
“Thank you for lifting us up with love and support,” he said.
Biden was diagnosed with the disease on Friday after he experienced urinary symptoms and a prostate nodule was found, a statement from his office said.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management. The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians,” it added.
Trump, who has long derided Biden over his cognitive abilities and his record in office, said he was “saddened” by the news.
“We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery,” Trump, 78, posted Sunday.
“Joe is a fighter,” Harris, who stepped in as Democratic nominee in the battle against Trump after Biden dropped out of last year’s presidential election, said.
“I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership,” she added.
Personal
Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men, with the American Cancer Society (ACS) reporting that one in eight men in the United States are diagnosed with it over their lifetime.
While it is highly treatable if discovered early, it is the second leading cause of cancer death in men.
Hormone therapy is a common treatment that can shrink tumours and slow cancer growth, but it is not a cure.
According to the statement, Biden’s cancer was found to have “a Gleason score of nine (Grade Group five),” on a 1-10 scale. Prostate cancer that looks “very abnormal” is assigned the highest rating, Grade five, according to the ACS.
Biden’s health was a dominant issue in the 2024 presidential race.
Trump and his conservative backers repeatedly attacked the incumbent over his cognitive abilities, and after a disastrous debate performance against Trump, Biden ended his campaign for a second term.
Biden’s life has been marked by personal tragedy. In 1972, his first wife and baby daughter were killed in a car crash.
His son Beau died aged 46 of an aggressive form of brain cancer in 2015.
In the wake of Beau’s death, then-president Barack Obama launched a “cancer moonshot” bid to corral the disease in the United States, tasking Biden, then his vice president, with leading the effort.
“It’s personal for me,” Biden said at the time.
