Topics: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Cancer, Health, Kamala Harris, US News, Politics
Donald Trump has issued a statement after Joe Biden is diagnosed with 'aggressive' cancer.
On Sunday (May 18), the office of the 82-year-old and former president released a statement, confirming Biden has been diagnosed with stage nine prostate cancer which has spread to the bone.
It read: "Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms.
"On Friday he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone."
Advert
The statement continued: "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."
Now, his successor, President Donald Trump, has issued his own statement about Biden's heartbreaking health update.
Taking to his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: "Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis.
"We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery."
The news comes as the health of the former POTUS was a prevailing concern for votes during his time as president - and during his bid for a second term.
While he ran again for a second shot in the Oval Office, with just three months left of the campaign he pulled out and handed the baton to former vice-president Kamala Harris.
His televised performance in a 90-minute debate against Trump fueled concerns, prompting the then White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to release a statement to deny that Biden was suffering from Alzheimer's.
In his announcement to his 'fellow Americans,' he said it was the 'greatest honor of of my life' to serve as President, adding: "And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term."
As the 46th president of the United States, Biden was elected into the role on November 7, 2020, beating Trump at the polls.
The Democrat then finished his first and only term in office on January 20, when 78-year-old Trump reclaimed the White House having beaten Harris.
In February 2023, Biden completed a procedure to remove a 'basal cell carcinoma,' a common type of skin cancer from his chest.
And in November 2021, he had a polyp removed from his colon that was benign but possibly pre-cancerous.
Biden remained passionate about tackling the cancer death rate, particularly following the death of his eldest son Beau who died of glioblastoma brain tumor in 2015.
The Gleason score is used by medics to grade prostate cancer, according to Cancer Research.
The grade infers how much the cancer cells look like normal cells and how likely they are to grow or how aggressive they appear.
There are five grade groups with Grade Group 1 considered the least aggressive while Grade Group 5 is the most.
As Biden has a Gleason score of nine, he's in the highest category, meaning the cells look very abnormal and is likely to grow quickly.
However, as it is hormone-sensitive, doctors say they can effectively 'manage' his prognosis.
