The revelations of former President Joseph Biden’s diagnosis of prostate cancer have made me unfamiliar. As a medical oncologist, I find that most celebrity disclosures are humble but rarely moving. But for someone whose uncle is on a very similar cancer journey, the details of Biden’s disease are inevitable.
Biden's office revealed in a statement released Sunday that he had stage 4 prostate cancer and “metastasize to bones.” The disease is considered an “aggressive form” with a Gleason score of 9 (scales 6 to 10), reflecting an abrupt enhancement of cellular abnormalities. The former president is now exploring treatment options with doctors.
Not long ago, my 74-year-old uncle found myself in the same place. In 2023, his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test (measuring proteins produced by normal prostate and cancer cells) is 1.5, which is much lower than the age-appropriate 4.0 protein. But within a year, despite only vague symptoms of urine, his level still reached 104.
The MRI of the prostate and biopsy was followed and confirmed that the cancer scored very high. Shortly after, PET scans showed that the disease had spread to various bones and lymph nodes. In other words, like Biden, my uncle's disease is the fourth stage at diagnosis – controllable but incurable.
Since prostate cancer is often regularly evaluated at the PSA level, the vast majority (70% according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) are first detected in the early stages, but are still located in the prostate. However, while such advanced demonstrations are unlikely to be made at initial detection, they are not impossible. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), when the cancer has spread widely, 8% of prostate cancers are first diagnosed.
After my uncle's accidental diagnosis, I had to provide him and his immediate family with space to absorb news. Although I would not be the primary doctor for his treatment, I did assure him that there is indeed an effective treatment plan, regardless of advanced cancer.
The former president will get the same treatment plan my uncle has: a personalized strategy that illustrates his illness details, physical abilities, comorbidities, and quality of life. It is crucial that my uncle can start this journey with an optimistic attitude, thanks not only to his personal beliefs but also to the potential of current prostate cancer treatments – hormone therapy, chemotherapy, radiation, etc.
Oncologist at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and a group contributor to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s Prostate Cancer Guidelines, “The treatment of advanced prostate cancer has developed significantly over the past decade.” “While stage 4 prostate cancer is incurable, it can often be treated as a chronic disease and can be controlled. This helps to shift attention from fear to long-term care programs rooted in hope and ongoing support.”
This is where Biden and others like My Uncle can benefit from the bounty of the former president’s own “rover” mission, thereby reducing cancer deaths through research and substantial investment. This effort, threatened by the Trump administration’s ongoing budget cuts, is a vector for expanding our arsenal to diseases where morbidity and deaths are still large.
Biden posted on social media on Monday: “Cancer has touched us all.” To me, it’s personal and professional authenticity. My uncle has made incredible progress on his cancer journey: his PSA is all over the treatment and scans show no active disease. While no two cancers are the same, I hope this former president’s path will be equally successful.
This article was originally published on msnbc.com
