When news broke in May 2025 that Joe Biden was facing a serious health battle, the headlines were blunt. It wasn't just "prostate cancer." It was a diagnosis that had already moved. By the time it was caught, the disease had reached a stage that many people find terrifying: it had spread to his bones.
For many, the phrase joe biden bone cancer became a shorthand for this development, even though, medically speaking, it’s actually metastatic prostate cancer. It’s a distinction that matters. If you have prostate cancer that travels to the ribs or spine, it doesn’t suddenly become "bone cancer"—it’s still prostate cancer cells growing in a new neighborhood.
Honestly, the timeline of this whole thing is pretty heavy. Biden was 82 when his office released the statement. He had been experiencing "increasing urinary symptoms," which led to a biopsy. The results? A Gleason score of 9. For context, that’s about as aggressive as it gets on the standard 2-to-10 scale.
The reality of the Joe Biden bone cancer diagnosis
So, how did we get here? Biden hadn't had a PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) test since roughly 2014. That might sound like a huge oversight, but it’s actually in line with what a lot of doctors recommend for men over 70 or 75. The idea is that for most older guys, the "harms" of screening and treating slow-growing cancers outweigh the benefits.
But Biden’s case wasn't slow-growing.
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It was fast. Aggressive. By the time the symptoms were loud enough to notice, the cancer was Stage IV. This means it had left the prostate and hitched a ride to the skeletal system. Dr. Michael Carducci, an expert in the field, pointed out that while this stage is "incurable" in the traditional sense, it doesn't mean the end of the road.
People live five, seven, or even ten years with this. It’s about management.
What a Gleason score of 9 actually means
Doctors use the Gleason system to look at how "angry" the cells look under a microscope.
- Gleason 6: Pretty much looks like normal tissue. Low risk.
- Gleason 7: The middle ground.
- Gleason 8-10: High-grade. This is where Biden landed.
When you have a 9, the cells are disorganized. They don't look like prostate cells anymore. They are built to travel.
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Treatment: Radiation, Hormones, and "Strong Bones"
In October 2025, a few months after the initial shock, updates came out about his treatment. He started a combination of radiation therapy and hormone treatment (specifically Androgen Deprivation Therapy, or ADT).
Basically, prostate cancer feeds on testosterone. ADT starves the cancer by dropping those hormone levels to near zero. It’s effective, but it’s rough on the body. We’re talking hot flashes, fatigue, and potential cognitive "fog."
Biden, ever the optimist, told reporters later that year: "My bones are strong, it hadn't penetrated... so I'm feeling good."
It’s worth noting that around the same time, he also had Mohs surgery to remove skin cancer from his forehead. That was a separate issue—basal cell carcinoma—and luckily, it was localized and cleared with "clean margins." But it certainly added to the public’s concern about his overall health.
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Can you actually "beat" metastatic cancer?
The word "beat" is tricky here. In metastatic cases, you don't usually "cure" it so much as you put it into a long-term stalemate.
- Hormone Sensitivity: This was the big win for Biden. His cancer was hormone-sensitive, meaning the drugs actually worked to shrink the tumors.
- Bone Health: Treatments like Xgeva or Zometa are often used to keep the bones from getting brittle or fracturing while the cancer is present.
- Advanced Options: If the hormones stop working (becoming "castration-resistant"), there are newer targeted therapies and even "liquid radiation" like Pluvicto that specifically hunt down prostate cells in the bone.
Lessons from the Biden health journey
This isn't just about a former president. It’s a case study in how we handle men’s health as they age.
There’s a massive debate in the medical community right now because of this. Should we have stopped screening him? If he had a PSA test in 2022, would they have caught it before it hit his bones? There’s no easy answer.
If you are looking at your own health or a family member's, here is the actionable takeaway:
- Don't ignore the plumbing. Changes in urinary flow or frequency in older men are often dismissed as "just getting old." Sometimes it's just a regular enlarged prostate, but sometimes it’s the only warning shot you get.
- Know your history. If there's a family history of aggressive cancer, the "stop screening at 75" rule probably shouldn't apply to you.
- Second opinions are vital. With a Gleason 9, you want a multidisciplinary team—a urologist, a radiation oncologist, and a medical oncologist—all talking to each other.
The Joe Biden bone cancer story is still being written. As of early 2026, he remains under "dermatological surveillance" for the skin issues and continues his systemic treatment for the prostate cancer. It’s a heavy lift for anyone, especially in their 80s, but the medical tools available today are vastly better than they were even a decade ago.
Monitor your symptoms closely and maintain regular dialogue with a primary care physician about the risks and benefits of PSA testing beyond the age of 70, especially if symptoms like bone pain or urinary changes arise.