Days after it was announced that Joe Biden is battling prostate cancer, a spokesperson for the former president’s personal office set the record straight on when he received the diagnosis.
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According to The New York Times, the spokesperson, Chris Meagher, confirmed that Joe Biden did not receive the cancer diagnosis before last week. He pointed out that Biden’s last-known prostate-specific antigen test, which is a standard method to screen for prostate cancer, was done in 2014. He was 71 or 72 years old at the time.
Neither Meagher nor Biden’s doctor in the White House, Kevin O’Connor, revealed why the former world leader was not regularly screened for prostate cancer during his presidency.
However, the current guidelines for prostate cancer screening advise against testing men over the age of 70. Multiple doctors told the media outlet they generally agreed that men of an advanced age, like Joe Biden, who is 82, should not be automatically screened should automatically be screened.
The president’s personal office confirmed he was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer. It was characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5). The former president’s doctors have confirmed that the diagnosis represents a more aggressive form of the disease. However, they noted that cancer appears to be “hormone-sensitive,” which will allow for effective management.
Biden is currently reviewing treatment options.
In his latest Instagram post, Biden shared a photo of himself, his wife Jill, and their cat, Willow. “Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places,” he wrote. “Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”
The diagnosis was announced after Biden’s doctor discovered a small nodule during a routine examination.
Former Coronavirus Pandemic Advisor Says Presidents Should Be Held to a Higher Standard Regarding Health
Meanwhile, Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, an oncologist who served as a coronavirus pandemic advisor at the White House during President Biden’s administration, believes that presidents should be held to a higher standard regarding health.
“We have to have confidence that their health condition is not intervening,” Dr. Emanuel explained. “We need a committee of doctors who are not chosen in a political manner, who are making an independent evaluation of the president and making it public.”
Dr. David Penson, the chair of urologic oncology at Vanderbilt University Center, wasn’t surprised that Biden wasn’t routinely screened.
“Some people worry and they have regrets and they’ll ask their doctor to do it,” Penson said. “And a lot of doctors will do it just because it makes the patients feel better. But sometimes you find something that they didn’t need to find because they weren’t going to die of it anyway.”
Following the news, Donald Trump Jr. and others accused those part of the Biden administration of covering up the cancer.
President Donald Trump also seemingly suggested that Joe Biden hid his cancer diagnosis from the public.
“It can take years to get to his level of danger,” Trump said. “So it’s a – look, it’s a very, very sad situation, and I feel very badly about it.”
He then added, “I think people should try and find out what happened.”