Joe Biden Says Prostate Cancer Radiation Treatment ‘Worked As Intended’
Former President Joe Biden offered a new update on his battle with metastatic prostate cancer Tuesday, saying the radiation treatment he underwent last fall “worked as intended.” The 83-year-old also said he remains active and continues working on his memoir despite the serious diagnosis disclosed more than a year ago. As part of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, Biden thanked the doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals involved in his treatment. His update came weeks after his son Hunter Biden described the disease as painful and debilitating after it spread beyond the prostate.
“The radiation treatment from last fall worked as intended, and I continue to do the things I care about, like finishing my memoir,” Biden wrote. Biden also said he was “deeply grateful” to the medical professionals who helped control his cancer and continue overseeing his care. His office announced in May 2025 that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had metastasized to his bones. The cancer was given a Gleason score of 9, indicating an aggressive form of the disease, but Biden’s office said it was hormone-sensitive and therefore potentially responsive to treatment.
Biden later began hormone therapy and underwent radiation treatment during the fall of 2025. His latest statement did not suggest that the metastatic cancer had been cured, but instead said the radiation treatment had produced its intended result and helped doctors control the disease. Medical specialists have previously noted that prostate cancer that has spread to the bones is generally considered treatable rather than curable, with therapies capable of controlling the disease for varying periods of time.
Hunter Biden Describes Father’s Cancer as ‘Very Painful’ and ‘Very Debilitating’
Hunter Biden offered a more difficult picture of his father’s condition during a BBC interview last month. He said the cancer had “metastasized into his bones and further” and described the disease as “very painful” and “very debilitating in many respects.” Former First Lady Jill Biden has also publicly acknowledged the seriousness of the diagnosis, saying earlier this year that the spread to her husband’s bones fundamentally changed the nature of his illness.
Biden used Tuesday’s health update to encourage other men to discuss prostate cancer screening with their doctors rather than delaying those conversations. “By the time we found it, it had already spread to my bones,” Biden wrote while explaining why early detection had become particularly personal for him. He noted that prostate cancer detected before it spreads has a very high five-year survival rate and encouraged men to understand their individual risk factors. The former president specifically highlighted greater prostate cancer risks among Black men and men with a family history of the disease.
Biden has largely maintained a lower public profile since leaving office in January 2025, although he has occasionally appeared at events and commented on political and personal matters. His cancer diagnosis came less than four months after the end of his presidency and followed years of intense public attention surrounding his age and health. Those concerns became particularly prominent during the 2024 presidential campaign after Biden’s performance in his June debate against Donald Trump.
Biden Withdraws from Race, Focuses on Memoir
Biden ultimately withdrew from the presidential race the following month, and Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic nominee before losing the November election to Trump. Since leaving office, Biden has also been working on a memoir about his presidency and the events surrounding his decision to end his reelection campaign. He said Tuesday that the cancer treatment has not prevented him from continuing that project.
Biden closed his statement by thanking those who have offered prayers and support since his diagnosis and expressing hope that discussing his experience might encourage others to seek medical care, Trending Politics reported. “It’s my hope and prayer that by sharing our experience and being part of this important conversation, we can help save lives,” he wrote.