Joe Biden shares rare update on cancer battle as he reveals radiation ‘worked as intended’

WASHINGTON, DC: Former President Joe Biden used Prostate Cancer Awareness Month to share a personal message about his diagnosis, saying more than 330,000 American men will hear words similar to those he heard when doctors told him he had prostate cancer.

Biden said in a social media post that his cancer had already spread to his bones by the time it was found.

“So have the conversation with your doctor. Don’t put it off,” he wrote, calling this September “more personal for me.” 

Biden's message comes after his office announced in May 2025 that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had metastasized to his bones.

Biden reveals how treatment is going

Biden said his diagnosis changed the meaning of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month for him. “The radiation treatment from this fall worked as intended, and I continue to do the things I care about, like finishing my memoir.”

“When prostate cancer is caught early, the five-year survival is close to 100 per cent,” he wrote before encouraging men to discuss their individual risk with a doctor.

The former president also shared an update on his treatment. 

He said he remained grateful to the doctors, nurses and other medical professionals caring for him.

“Their skill, dedication, and compassion mean so much,” Biden wrote. 

Biden's office said when his diagnosis was announced that his cancer had a Gleason score of 9 and had spread to the bone.

The office added that the disease appeared to be hormone-sensitive, allowing for effective management.

Biden urges men not to put off cancer conversations

Biden used his experience to encourage men to speak openly with their doctors.

In his post, he said men at average risk should begin conversations about prostate cancer around age 50. 

He said Black men should start those discussions at 45 or earlier and urged men with a father or brother who had prostate cancer to speak with a doctor at 45 or sooner.

The American Cancer Society says screening decisions are not one-size-fits-all and that age, family history, race and inherited genetic changes can affect a person's risk. 

It encourages men to discuss their individual circumstances with a health care provider.

The ACS estimates that 333,830 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2026. 

Prostate cancer is more common among older men, while Black men face a higher risk of diagnosis and death from the disease.

A message for American families

Biden's post also addressed the people who stand beside those facing cancer. 

He thanked everyone who had reached out to him and his family and said he hoped sharing his experience would encourage more conversations.

“Ask the hard questions,” Biden wrote.

“Do it for yourself, and do it for the people who love you.”