Joe Biden is facing the biggest health battle of his life and it’s worse than anyone imagined.
Just months after stepping away from the brutal 2024 presidential race, the 82-year-old former president has been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer that has already spread to his bones, according to bombshell reports confirmed by his team.
The diagnosis? Stage 4 or what some insiders are already calling “stage 5.”
Doctors have classified the cancer as aggressive and potentially deadly, giving Biden a Gleason score of 9, one of the highest possible indicators of how fast and far the disease is expected to spread.
From Routine Check-Up to a Devastating Discovery
It all started with a “small nodule” doctors spotted during a routine physical exam earlier this year. At the time, Biden’s team insisted it was nothing to panic about — but now, biopsy results have confirmed the worst-case scenario.
“The cancer’s already in the bones,” a source close to the former president said. “That’s when things get very serious.”
This isn’t Biden’s first brush with health trouble. During his final year in office, the former president dealt with balance issues, a bout of skin cancer, and behind-the-scenes talk of him potentially needing a wheelchair, a shocking detail revealed in the tell-all political book Original Sin.
“They were going to roll him out, but only after the election,” the book alleges.
Now, critics are wondering: Could this have been caught sooner?
What a Gleason Score of 9 Really Means According to Doctors
A Gleason 9 score doesn’t just suggest cancer. It screams danger.
This number means Biden’s cancer is highly aggressive and likely to spread fast — which it already has. Once prostate cancer reaches the bones, survival rates drop dramatically.
- Only 50% of men diagnosed at this stage live five years beyond diagnosis.
- And for men over 75? It’s even grimmer as three out of four deaths from prostate cancer occur in that age group.
The Treatment Fight Begins — But There’s No Cure
Biden’s doctors say the cancer is hormone-sensitive, which gives them a fighting chance to slow it down.
Hormone therapy, which blocks testosterone, will likely be the first line of defense. It can stall the disease, but not cure it.
Other possible treatments include:
- ARTA drugs (a newer class of hormone-blockers)
- Chemotherapy to help delay progression
But even with modern medicine, Biden faces an uphill battle.
“Fatigue, bone pain, weight loss, those are the realities,” said urologist Dr. Ben Lamb. “This won’t be easy.”
Why Weren’t There Warning Signs?
Biden had recently complained of urinary issues, a well-known early symptom of prostate cancer. Many now question how such an advanced case went undetected, especially for a former president with round-the-clock medical access.
“It’s inconceivable this wasn’t seen sooner,” said Yale professor Dr. Howie Forman, who slammed the delay in diagnosis.
He pointed out that a simple PSA blood test, standard for men Biden’s age, could have caught the disease before it reached this critical stage.
A Private Battle with Public Stakes
Since officially leaving the spotlight in January 2025, Biden has mostly stayed out of the public eye, making rare appearances at charity events with First Lady Jill Biden and their cat Willow.
But his health was already a growing concern inside the White House long before he left.
Insiders admitted there had been conversations about using a wheelchair, and some aides felt they had been pressured to keep quiet about Biden’s visible decline.
Now, with a life-threatening diagnosis, even political rivals are sending messages of support.
“We wish Joe a fast and successful recovery,” Donald Trump said in a surprisingly warm message on Truth Social.
