Joe Biden Updates on Prostate Cancer Treatment

In a brief statement posted to X this week, former President Joe Biden gave a personal health update and a public health reminder. Marking September as Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, he said the radiation treatment he underwent last fall “worked as intended” and that he’s feeling well enough to keep working on his memoir.

“More than 330,000 American men this year will hear the words we did last spring when I was diagnosed with prostate cancer,” Biden wrote. “By the time we found it, it had already spread to my bones.” He went on to stress that early detection dramatically improves outcomes, noting that when the disease is caught early the five‑year survival rate is “close to 100 %.”

He didn’t stop at his own story. Biden urged men to start the conversation with their doctors sooner rather than later. “If you’re at average risk, that conversation should start around 50, with screening every two to four years,” he advised. “If you’re a Black man, start at 45 or earlier—your risk is about 70 % higher, and you’re two to four times more likely to die from it. That’s an outrage in the richest country in the world.”

Biden also highlighted the importance of family history. He wrote that men with a father or brother who had prostate cancer should begin screening at 45, or even earlier if multiple relatives were affected.

Expressing gratitude, the former president thanked the doctors, nurses, and other medical staff who helped manage his condition. “Their skill, dedication, and compassion mean so much,” he said. He closed by thanking the public for their prayers and support.

The message aligns with the American Cancer Society’s guidance: prostate cancer is the most common non‑skin cancer in U.S. men, the risk climbs with age, and it disproportionately affects men of African ancestry, often at younger ages. Regular screening can catch the disease before it spreads, dramatically improving survival chances.