Former US president Biden undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer

WASHINGTON – Former US president Joe Biden is receiving radiation therapy for his prostate cancer diagnosed in May, NBC News reported on Oct 11.

“As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President Biden is currently undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment,” NBC News quoted a spokesman for Mr Biden as saying.

Mr Biden, 82,

underwent surgery to remove cancerous cells

from his skin in September. The procedure, known as Mohs surgery, is commonly used to treat the most common forms of skin cancer.

The surgery comes after he revealed in May that he had been

diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer

. His team described the illness as aggressive but hormone-sensitive, meaning it is likely to respond to treatment.

“Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learnt that we are strongest in the broken places,” Mr Biden, whose son Beau died of cancer in 2015, said at the time in a post on X.

“Thank you for lifting us up with love and support,” he said.

Mr Biden previously

had a skin lesion removed

during a routine physical in 2023 while serving as president. That lesion was identified as basal cell carcinoma.

His physical health and mental acuity were

frequent topics of scrutiny

during his presidency. He abruptly ended his bid for re-election in July 2024, just weeks after a faltering debate performance against Mr Donald Trump triggered widespread concern within the Democratic Party.

Mr Biden was the oldest person ever elected president at the time of his 2020 victory. That record was surpassed in 2024 when Mr Trump, now 79,

was elected president

.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men, according to the American Cancer Society.

It is particularly common in the elderly – around 80 per cent of men over 80 have some cancerous cells in their prostate gland, research has estimated.

While it is highly treatable if discovered early, it is the second leading cause of cancer death in men, the organisation said.

Hormone therapy is a common treatment that can shrink tumours and slow cancer growth, but it is not a cure. REUTERS, AFP