Former President Joe Biden has tragically been diagnosed with prostate cancer. His office released an official statement, sharing the news that the cancer has spread to his bones. The diagnosis is serious, with doctors verifying that it has a Gleason score of 9. This is just one point below the most severe rating. The Gleason rating system grades the abnormality of prostate cancer cells after studying them under a microscope. A higher score indicates a more aggressive tumor that has spread and grown rapidly.
When bone metastases are present in prostate cancer, it’s a sign of late-stage disease. When the disease has spread to the bones, there is a greater risk of complications, some of which include intense pain and bone fractures. Based on research from 2023 in Oncology Letters, approximately 80% of patients diagnosed with late-stage prostate cancer can develop bone metastases. Statistics show that prostate cancer has a poor prognosis once it spreads to the bones. According to the American Cancer Society, the survival rate within a five-year window is less than 3%.
Despite his grave diagnosis, the former POTUS’s medical team has announced that this kind of cancer is hormone-sensitive. Based on the statement, this allows it to be managed more effectively. In other words, undergoing hormone therapy can deprive prostate cancer cells of the growth signals necessary for multiplication. Biden and his family members are currently considering different treatment options with his doctors.
Why prostate cancer can be a silent killer
Prostate cancer, which is one of the most common cancers among older men, often goes undetected. The majority of prostate cancer cases happen in men who are older than 65 years old. The risk increases further for those over 70, who are more than four times as likely to get prostate cancer. Since Joe Biden is 82 years old, he is vulnerable not just to the development of the illness, but also to the progression of it.
This disease can progress slowly over the years without symptoms. Still, when it starts to spread aggressively, symptoms may manifest as frequent urination, difficulty urinating, finding blood in the urine, and weight loss. It often comes with back, hip, or pelvic pain. These are only a few warning signs of prostate cancer. Older men with these symptoms should see a doctor ASAP.
Part of what makes prostate cancer so dangerous is that it worsens silently. For Joe Biden, urinary issues caused him to make a doctor’s appointment. Further testing revealed both the initial tumor and the bone metastases. Regular screening is vital, as it can mean the difference between a curable illness that can be managed and late-stage cancer that can’t be reversed with treatment.
What does Joe Biden’s Gleason score indicate?
Doctors use the Gleason score as a tool to determine how abnormal prostate cancer cells are. The system was named after Dr. Donald Gleason, who developed it as a way to determine how aggressive a cancer is based on what tissue looks like under a microscope. Pathologists assess two cell patterns, grade them each, and then add them together to come up with the Gleason score. The higher the score, the more aggressive the cancer is likely to be. Since Biden is at a 9 out of 10, he is in Grade Group 5, which is the most severe kind of prostate cancer.
Although the result is dramatic from a clinical perspective, the outlook may fluctuate because Biden’s cancer is hormonally sensitive and may respond to androgen deprivation treatment. By slowing the growth of androgens, therapy may slow cancer growth or shrink tumors. It’s often performed before or alongside radiation, but for patients with incurable cancer, it is used to extend life and add longevity while offering disease management.
