Medical experts have declared it ‘inconceivable’ that former President Joe Biden‘s ‘aggressive’ form of prostate cancer was not caught earlier by doctors.
The office of the 82-year-old former commander-in-chief announced his diagnosis Sunday, stating that Biden was suffering from a highly aggressive form of prostate cancer.
His cancer was given a Gleason score of 9 and a Grade Group of 5, a devastating stage of the rapidly-spreading disease. The diagnosis came days after doctors found a ‘small nodule’ on his prostate.
Many officials expressed heartfelt concern for the former president, with even Donald Trump saying that he and First Lady Melania wish Biden ‘a fast and successful recovery.’
But upon hearing the news, some of America’s top doctors questioned how a former president could be diagnosed with a late stage of prostate cancer – which can be detected early with routine bloodwork recommended for all men over the age of 50.
‘It is inconceivable that this was not being followed before he left the Presidency,’ wrote Dr. Howie Forman, a professor of radiology and biomedical imaging, public health management and economics at Yale.
He noted that the test for prostate-specific antigen would have shown he had cancer ‘for some time before this diagnosis’ given how aggressive his form of cancer is.
The office of former President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that he has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer
Rumors are now swirling that there may have been a cover-up over his diagnosis. Biden is pictured here with his wife Dr. Jill Biden in January
‘He must have had a PSA test numerous times before,’ Forman suggested, concluding that Biden’s late-stage diagnosis is ‘odd.’
In a follow-up post, the doctor questioned whether Biden ‘really never had screening these past dozen years’ or if he has always ‘had a normal PSA prior to [age] 70?’
‘It’s just so odd to discover this with bone [metastasis] in a man of his stature and [with his] access to care,’ Forman concluded.
Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel also seemed confused about how Biden’s diagnosis came about.
‘This was found by physical examination by a prostate exam,’ Siegel said Sunday night. ‘A lot of times, we find an elevation in prostate-specific antigen, PSA, and then we go after it.’
He noted that he tests all of his male patients over the age of 45 for the disease.
Once a test comes back for an increased PSA, Siegel said he automatically orders an MRI for the patient, after which a decision is made about whether to conduct a biopsy.
But in Biden’s case, doctors only performed a biopsy once he claimed he was experiencing urinary issues – which Siegel said is a sign that the cancer has already spread.
Dr. Howie Forman, a professor of radiology and biomedical imaging, public health management and economics at Yale, said it was ‘inconceivable’ that Biden’s ‘aggressive’ form of prostate cancer was not caught earlier
Similarly, urologist Dr. David Shusterman said it is ‘unheard of’ for someone with Biden’s stage of cancer to not know about it beforehand and Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel said he was ‘taken aback that it’s this far advanced’
In the beginning of the disease, patients often do not experience any symptoms, he explained.
‘I mean, he must have had the best possible care here,’ the doctor said of the White House. ‘I’m a little taken aback that it’s this far advanced.’
‘It would be really surprising if they weren’t doing a very close screening on this because everybody knows in the medical community that this is the once cancer in men you really look out for,’ Siegel continued.
He added that even though Biden ‘doesn’t seem to have a lot of risk factors’ for the disease – he is 82 years old ‘so that’s a big risk factor.’
Similarly, on News Nation, urologist Dr. David Shusterman said it is ‘unheard of’ for someone with Biden’s stage of cancer to not know about it beforehand.
‘It’s very unlikely that someone could get annual checkups and not notice,’ he said, adding that Biden is a former president who ‘had state-of-the-art care.
‘It’s unusual to hear that someone has prostate cancer when they’re annually being followed up,’ Shusterman said. ‘The fact that we find it at a Gleason 9 is unheard of.’
He went on to claim that the former president ‘most likely had it for a long time’ noting the aggressive form has to spread over several years.
In the end, Shusterman concluded that there is ‘definitely evidence that he knew about this for a while.’
Some netizens hit out at former White House Dr. Kevin O’Connor for giving Biden a clean bill of health last year
Biden’s presidency was plagued by questions of his advanced age and mental acuity
Dr. Steven Quay went even further, declaring online that: ‘It is highly likely he was carrying a diagnosis of prostate cancer throughout his White House tenure and the American people were uninformed.’
He explained that prostate cancer is the ‘easiest… to diagnose when it first starts and to watch it progress to bone metastases.’
‘For even with the most aggressive form, it is a five to seven year journey without treatment before it becomes metastatic,’ Quay asserted.
‘Meaning it would be malpractice for this patient to show up and first be diagnosed with metastatic disease in May 2025.’
Quay’s comments were soon shared by First Son Donald Trump Jr., who questioned ‘How Dr. Jill Biden [missed] stage five metastatic cancer, or is this yet another coverup??’
Others also spread the idea that the Biden administration may have covered up his cancer diagnosis – even as he ran for re-election.
‘This is the most dangerous cover-up in the history of the presidency,’ conservative commentator Benny Johnson wrote on X, pointing to a February 2024 note in which the former president’s doctor declared him ‘fit to serve’ following a routine physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Donald Trump Jr. publicly questioned whether former First Lady Jill Biden covered up her husband’s cancer
‘Last summer, White House Physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor swore to the American people that Joe Biden was “completely fit for the presidency” – no issues, nothing to see,’ Johnson wrote.
‘Advanced prostate cancer takes +10 years to develop to the stage where Biden’s diagnosis is. Prostate cancer is also *easy* to find…’
‘You’re telling me that the best doctors and testing on Earth did not *find* Biden’s cancer in all these years of testing?
‘Was every medical report a lie? For how long?’
He then went on to assert that those in Biden’s White House ‘knew. They lied. They hid it. For power.
‘People need to be held accountable for this.’
Commentator Tim Young also suggested O’Connor ‘needs to be investigated and lose his medical license’ while David J Freeman said he should be put under oath.
Internet critics and even some medical professionals weighed-in on Biden’s gait towards the end of his presidency
He even seemed to stumble and fall completely to the ground
Biden has previously battled cancer before.
In 1988, the former president had two brain aneurysms that threatened to end his political career.
He also had a lesion removed from his chest in February 2023, and prior to entering office he had several non-melanoma skin cancer spots removed with Mohs surgery.
But towards the end of his presidency, questions over Biden’s age, health and fitness plagued his effort to win re-election – and he eventually had to ditch his campaign and let then-Vice President Kamala Harris, 60, take over.
CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson have an upcoming book focusing on the massive cover-up of his cognitive decline during his single term as president
Internet critics and even some medical professionals weighed-in on Biden’s gait towards the end of his presidency, mentioning his shuffle and his inclination to stumble and even fall completely to the ground.
During a commencement address at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado on June 1, 2023, Biden tripped and fell down while on stage. A few members of his Secret Service detail rushed to help him back to his feet.
Leaders within the Democratic Party have now started to publicly admit that Biden should not have run for reelection in 2024.
Some claim that they were duped by advisers who were shielding Biden from the public and telling members of the party he was fit behind the scenes.
In fact, CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson have an upcoming book focusing solely on the downfall of Biden and the massive cover-up of his cognitive decline during his single term as president.
‘Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again’ will hit shelves later this week and details the extent of the cover-up.
The forthcoming book details how Biden’s deterioration towards the end of his single term was so severe that some aides started to weight whether he needed to use a wheelchair.
The authors claim advisers were privately discussing in 2023 and 2024 the possibility that Biden might need to use a wheelchair if he won reelection – and they were weighing how to hide it until after Election Day in November 2024.
A statement from Biden’s office says his family is now reviewing his treatment options
The former president will now likely receive hormone therapy, which seeks to block testosterone production since the hormone can help the cancer to grow and thrive.
There are two types of medications used to treat this advanced stage of prostate cancer – Lupron, which stops testosterone production, and Casodex, which stops testosterone from binding.
Side effects, though, can leave patients feeling fatigued and listless, Siegel said.
However, many prostate cancers eventually develop a resistance to the therapy and continue to grow despite the low androgen levels.
In that case, second-line therapies like chemotherapy, targeted treatments and radiopharmaceuticals may help keep the cancer at bay.
In the meantime, other elected officials have sent Biden their well wishes.
In a statement on X, former President Barack Obama said he and former First Lady Michelle Obama ‘are thinking of the entire Biden family.
‘Nobody has done more to find breakthrough treatments for cancer in all its forms than Joe, and I am certain he will fight this challenge with his trademark resolve and grace,’ he said of Biden’s Cancer Moonshot initiative to eradicate cancer.
‘We pray for a fast and full recovery.’
Harris also took to X to express her thoughts on Biden’s diagnosis, saying she and former Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff were ‘saddened’ by the news.
‘We are keeping him, Dr. Biden, and their entire family in our hearts and prayers during this time,’ Harris wrote on X.
‘Joe is a fighter — and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership. We are hopeful for a full and speedy recovery.’
Former President Barack Obama said he and former First Lady Michelle Obama ‘are thinking of the entire Biden family
Former Vice President Kamala Harris said she and former Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff were ‘saddened’ by the news of Biden’s diagnosis
Even some conservatives crossed the line to send the Biden family their thoughts, with Marjorie Taylor Greene issuing a deeply-relatable statement that paid homage to her own father.
‘I’m sorry to see this news. Cancer is truly awful,’ Greene wrote. ‘My Dad passed away in 2021 with cancer. Prays for Joe Biden and his family.’
Meghan McCain, whose father John McCain died in 2018, also gave a steadfast show of support for her political rival.
‘Cancer is the absolute worst. It is hell. It is incredibly difficult for any family, anywhere that has to deal with it,’ McCain wrote on X.
‘Wishing nothing but healing, prayers, light and strength to President Biden and his family. I don’t believe times like these are appropriate for politics.’
