United States: Former President Joe Biden suffers from an "aggressive" form of prostate cancer

Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an "aggressive" form of prostate cancer, the 82-year-old former US president 's office announced on Sunday. The octogenarian Democrat has "metastasis to the bone."

"Although this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-dependent, allowing for effective management" of the disease, Joe Biden's office said in a statement.

"The President and his family are evaluating treatment options."

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, accounting for 15% of all male cancers. The prostate is a male gland whose primary function is to produce a fluid that makes up semen. Hormone-dependent prostate cancers, on the other hand, require androgen—a male hormone—to spread and stop growing when it is absent, according to the National Cancer Institute in the United States.

"The President and his family are evaluating treatment options with his doctors," the statement said. Joe Biden left the White House in January after deciding not to run for reelection in the summer of 2024 amid concerns about his health.