Former President Joe Biden is struggling with an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer, his office announced on Sunday, adding that his condition was characterized by a “Gleason rating of 9.”
His service also said that Biden’s diagnosis includes bone metastases.
The diagnosis of Biden’s cancer comes after a small knot was opened in the former president after the “routine physical exam” on Tuesday. The opening of nodes “necessitated a more assessment,” his spokesman said at the time.
More: Former President Joe Biden with a diagnosis of “aggressive” prostate cancer
In February 2023, as now-82-year-old former president served in the White House-Baidon, a lesion was removed from his breast, which is Rakova, according to the former White House doctor. In addition, before entering the office, Biden had several non -melanoma skin cancers removed with Mohs surgery.
As the world responds to Biden’s medical news, ABC News has broken what its condition means and what possible treatments can be done.
What do I know about prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a type of cancer that is formed in the tissues of the prostate, the small gland in the male prostate that produces semen according to the national health institutes (NIH)
This is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the United States, according to the Federal Health Agency.
NIH reports approximately 313 780 new cases of prostate cancer, will be diagnosed this year – representing over 15% of all new cases of cancer.
Approximately 35 770 prostate cancer deaths will occur this year – representing 5.8% of all cancer deaths, according to the agency.
Photo: President Biden holds a press conference after the summit with Chinese President XI in San Francisco (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
More: Trump and other political leaders respond to the diagnosis of Biden’s cancer
Prostate cancer has a five -year relative survival rate, which means that the percentage of people alive five years after diagnosis is approximately 98%.
In general, prostate cancer usually grows very slowly, and finding and treating it before symptoms appear, may not improve the health of men or help them live longer.
However, this is usually a easier type of cancer, even when it spreads further.
Approximately 12.9% of men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lives, according to NIH. In 2022, there were about 3.5 million men living with prostate cancer in the United States.
The average age of prostate cancer is 68 years old, according to the agency, while the average age of prostate cancer is 79.
As the agency reports the percentage of new cases of prostate cancer, an average of 1.8% increased each year from 2013 to 2022, death rate decreases by an average of 0.6% each year between 2014 and 2023.
What is Gleason’s rating?
The Gleason evaluation system or Gleason evaluation refers to how much cancer is to progress and distribute, but does not provide the result.
This is a way to describe prostate cancer based on how abnormal cancer cells in a biopsy sample look under a microscope and how quickly they are likely to grow and spread, according to NIH.
The Gleason result is calculated by adding the two degrees of cancer cells, which make up the largest areas of the biopsy tissue sample, NIH says.
The evaluation system usually varies from 6 to 10.
Biden’s diagnosis for Gleason’s 9 evaluation shows that his cancer is aggressive.
The result of 9 indicates that cancer cells look very different from normal prostate cells and are likely to grow and spread rapidly. This puts cancer in Group 5, the highest risk category associated with more likely metastases and a more challenging prognosis. Yet, despite the obvious aggression of cancer, its hormone sensitive nature offers a viable path of treatment.
Possible treatment options
While Biden’s official treatment plan remains to be announced, possible options for the former president include hormone therapy or androgen therapy (ADT), which can reduce the levels of male hormones that can nourish the growth of prostate cancer.
This approach can effectively slow down the progression of the disease and manage the symptoms, even in the advanced stages where the cancer has spread to the bones.
Regular monitoring of prostate -specific antigen levels (PSA) is crucial, as increasing PSA levels may indicate cancer activity and help evaluate the effectiveness of treatment.
Surgery is usually not an option in cases like biden when the disease has spread to the bone and is not limited to the prostate.
Following the diagnosis of the former President, the US Cancer Company released a statement, saying, “This news is a reminder of the tragic impact of prostate cancer in the US”
“Early detection is crucial and we are concerned, given the increase of 5% compared to the year of diagnosis of men with a more advanced illness. We can and should do more to prevent late-stage diagnosis and prostate cancer death,” ACS said.
Available resources are available in the American Cancer Socity Cancer (1-800-227-2345) and the website, cancer.org.
The diagnosis of former President Joe Biden’s cancer: What does a Gleason estimate of 9 mean? Originally appeared on abcnews.go.com