Diagnosis of former President Joe Biden Have advanced stages Prostate cancer That has been transferred or spread to his bones prompted The pouring of attention and questions about his condition. These questions include how long it may take for the cancer to take and whether it has been screened for early testing.
While it is not clear how long Biden's cancer has been, its rapid spread is attributed to an aggressive form of the disease. His cancer was classified as Gleason with a 9 rating, which made him the 5th grade in the worst category. The Gleason score is a system that scores the severity of prostate cancer based on the analysis of cell samples under a microscope.
Currently, when state cancer is more advanced and spreads, bones will be subject to the areas most likely to be affected. It can also usually spread to the lymph nodes, liver, or lungs, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Unfortunately, advanced cancer diagnosis is not uncommon. For example, an analysis from the UK Cancer Research in 2014 found that 46% of all cancers in the country were diagnosed at the advanced stage. A 2023 study published in the journal Lancet Oncology found that the pandemic has also caused disruptions in late diagnosis of nearly all cancer types, including the prostate.
It can take years for slower growth to develop and detect, while more aggressive cancers may become more pronounced more quickly and spread to other parts of the body more quickly.
Biden, 82, was not tested for prostate cancer during his last medical examination in February 2024, according to records released at the time. Experts say this may be due to the fact that routine advice is not recommended for men aged 70 or older.
Doctors will stop screening for prostate cancer in about 75 because after that, the prostate cancer you usually pick up grows very slowly, so all the tests and treatments may not kill you the harm - you are talking about risks and benefits. on Monday.
Instead, Biden's diagnosis came after seeing a doctor recently due to symptoms of urine. A short noun His office said last week that further evaluations were found in the prostate.
"Urgent men, urine symptoms are common, usually due to benign diseases such as enlarged prostate," Goldell said. However, in this case, the test found cancer.
This situation underscores the importance of customizing medical decisions for individuals, Gunder said.
"He has new symptoms and is functionally active, which proves a more careful appearance," she said.
Advances in treating advanced prostate cancer have made progress, and Gond said the goal of treatment is to control the cancer, slow its progression and preserve quality of life. Gounder said Biden's cancer type is hormone-sensitive, meaning it should respond to testosterone blocking treatment.
As early as 2019, Biden was diagnosed with benign enlargement of prostate or BPH. That December, his campaign released his medical evaluation, which stated: "The patient was treated with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). This was initially treated with medication and then explicitly treated with surgery. He never had prostate cancer."
According to Yale University, BPH is very common among older men, with about 80% of men having 70 men.
Prostate cancer testing usually involves two methods: prostate-specific antigen, PSA, tests and digital rectal examinations or DRE. The PSA test is a blood test that can indicate a higher likelihood of prostate cancer, but is not a clear diagnosis. DRE involves any bumps in the prostate through the rectum using a glove finger.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent national expert panel, said the decision to screen for prostate cancer in men aged 55 to 69 should be personal, and it is recommended that men aged 70 and older be screened for PSA.
“Many men suffer from potential harms of screening, including the need for additional tests and possible false positive results of prostate biopsy; overdiagnosis and overtreatment; and treatment of complications such as urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction,” the task force’s recommendation summary. “Clinicians should not screen men who do not express screening.”
According to the Cleveland Clinic, prostate cancer is very common, second only to skin cancer is the most common cancer affecting men. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for every 100 men, 13 will develop prostate cancer at some point in their lives.