Former President Joe Biden has embarked on a new stage of cancer care, combining radiation therapy with hormone treatment to fight an aggressive form of metastatic prostate cancer.
Biden’s team confirmed that his cancer diagnosis, made public in May, revealed that the disease had spread to his bones. The cancer carries a Gleason score of 9, placing it in a high-risk category. However, doctors say it remains hormone-sensitive, which gives room for treatment response.
Over the past months, Biden had been taking oral hormone medication. The addition of radiation marks a more intensive approach, intended to attack cancer cells locally as well as systemically. The radiation course is expected to last about five weeks.
Earlier this year, the 82-year-old also underwent Mohs surgery to remove skin cancer lesions from his forehead, following an incident that exposed a scar. His health team reports he is tolerating the treatments and that close monitoring will guide the next phases.
Biden, who will turn 83 next month, continues to project optimism about his prognosis.