The disclosure of the diagnosis of former President Joseph Biden’s prostate cancer left me on an unfamiliar basis. As a medical oncologist, I find that most celebrity revelations humble, but rarely move. But for someone whose uncle is in the midst of a very similar cancer trip, Biden’s disease data is inevitable.
In a statement published on Sunday, Biden’s office revealed that he had prostate cancer at Stage 4 with “Bone Metastases”. It has been noticed that the disease is an “aggressive form” with an evaluation of Gleason 9 (on a scale of 6 to 10), which reflects the increased cell anomaly. The former president is now exploring treatment options with his doctors.
Not long ago, my 74-year-old uncle ended up in the same place. In 2023, his blood test for antigen (PSA)-which measures a protein produced by both normal and cancer cells of the prostate gland-1.5, well below normal, suitable for age 4.0. But within one year, despite only the vague symptoms of urine, its level reached 104.
Prostate and biopsy NMR follows duly and confirms a high -score cancer. Shortly thereafter, PET scanning showed that the disease had already spread to different bones and lymph nodes. Like Biden, in other words, my uncle’s disease was stage 4 at the time of diagnosis – controllable but incurable.
Because prostate cancer is often equal to and rated regularly with PSA levels, the vast majority (70%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), are first detected at an early stage, still located in the prostate. But although such advanced presentations are unlikely at the time of initial detection, they are not impossible. According to CDC, 8% of prostate cancer is first diagnosed when the cancer has already spread so wide.
After the unexpected diagnosis of my uncle, I had to provide space for him and his close family to learn the news. And although I would not be the main doctor for his treatment, I assured him that despite the advanced cancer, there is an effective treatment plan.
The former president will receive the same treatment plan my uncle has: an individualized strategy that takes into account the specificity of his illness, physical abilities, concomitant diseases and quality of life. And most importantly, my uncle can begin this trip with optimism, thanks not only to his personal faith, but also of the growing potential of current treatments for prostate cancer – hormone therapy, chemotherapy, radiation and more.
“In the last decade, the treatment of advanced prostate cancer has evolved significantly,” says Bilaval Ahmed, an oncologist at the University of Tennessee Health Scientific Center and associate of the national instructions of the Network for Prostate Cancer Network. “While prostate cancer in stage 4 is not treatable, it very often heals and managed as a chronic illness. This helps to focus the focus from fear to a long -term care plan, rooted in hope and constant support.”
It is here that Biden and others like my uncle are potentially to take advantage of the generosity of the former President Moon’s own mission to reduce the death of cancer through significant investment in research. Similar efforts, which are threatened by the current reductions in the Trump administration, are the main ones for expanding their arsenal against a disease whose frequency and deaths remain significant.
“Cancer touches all of us,” Biden published on Monday on social media. For me, this applies both personally and professionally. My uncle has made incredible progress in his cancer trip: His PSA has focused on treatment and scanning does not show an active disease. Although no two cancers are never like, I hope for the former president’s path to meet equal success.
This article was originally published on msnbc.com