Former President Joe Biden diagnosed with 'aggressive' prostate cancer: What to know about the illness and treatment options, according to experts
Former President Joe Biden was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, his office announced on Sunday. The Democrat, who was experiencing urinary symptoms, was diagnosed on Friday following the discovery of a nodule on his prostate.
'While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, which allows for effective management,' Biden's office said, noting that additional scans revealed that the cancer has spread to Biden's bones. 'The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.'
As words of support flooded social media, Biden shared a note alongside a photo of himself, wife Jill Biden and their cat on X. 'Cancer touches us all,' he wrote. 'Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.'
Yahoo News spoke to experts about what Biden's prognosis means and which treatments he may choose to receive.
The prostate is a male-only organ found below the bladder and in front of the rectum, and it aids in fertility. Prostate cancer is 'the most common cancer diagnosed in men in the U.S. and the second leading cause of cancer death,' behind lung cancer, Dr. William Oh, a genitourinary oncologist and director of precision medicine for Yale Cancer Center, told Yahoo News.
'We know it is a disease of aging and that it is more common as men get older,' said Oh, who does not treat Biden. He also noted that while people with a family history of prostate cancer, as well as African American men, have a higher risk of developing it, 'we do not know what causes prostate cancer.'
Prostate cancer oncologist Dr. Christopher Wee of the Cleveland Clinic, who also does not treat Biden, told Yahoo News that 'aggressive' is a 'relative term,' but that health care professionals use it to explain that the cancer is 'more likely to grow and spread than the average cancer.' One measure of how aggressive a cancer can be, Wee said, is the Gleason score.
'The more abnormal the cancer cells are, the higher the Gleason score,' he said, noting that the highest score possible is 10 and the lowest score is six.
Biden's Gleason score is a nine, which, Wee said, 'reflects a more aggressive behavior.'
According to the American Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate for prostate cancer when it has spread to other parts of the body is 37%.
'When prostate cancer has spread outside of the prostate, such as to the bone, this is called metastatic cancer,' Wee said. 'Generally speaking, this is not usually considered curable, and it becomes a lifelong disease.'
Metastatic cancer is considered Stage IV.
While treatment can slow its growth, improve or maintain the quality of life and help patients live longer, it's 'very difficult to get too much more specific than that, because there can be people in whom there's only one bone spot, and there can be people in whom there's spots all over the body,' Wee noted. The primary treatment, he said, is to use medicines.
These medicines include 'androgen deprivation therapy [ADT], where we lower the androgens, primarily testosterone, because that is the fuel for prostate cancer,' Wee explained.
'In addition to ADT, patients with metastatic hormone sensitive prostate cancer will also get a second hormone reducing medicine in a pill form, because there have been multiple trials showing that if patients use ADT plus a hormone reducing pill, they tend to live longer than those who get ADT by themselves,' Wee said. 'And in some circumstances, we even add intravenous chemotherapy as a third medicine.'
Occasionally, a patient may have testicles removed as well.
'Ultimately, these [treatment] decisions are complex,' Wee said. 'No two cases are the same, and it really involves very careful consideration of a patient's cancer, the patient's health and, most importantly, the patient's values and preferences.'
Well-wishes from Biden's peers came shortly after his diagnosis. Former Vice President Kamala Harris extended kind words in an Instagram post, in which she said she and husband Doug Emhoff were 'saddened to learn of President Biden's prostate cancer diagnosis.'
'We are keeping him, Dr. Biden, and their entire family in our hearts and prayers during this time,' she continued alongside a photo of her and Biden in the Oval Office. '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.'
And former President Barack Obama shared in a post on X that he and former first lady Michelle Obama were 'thinking of the entire Biden family,' writing, '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. We pray for a fast and full recovery.'
President Trump also reacted to the news on his social media site, Truth Social, stating that he and first lady Melania Trump were 'saddened to hear about Joe Biden's recent medical diagnosis.'
'We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery,' Trump wrote.
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USA Today
31 minutes ago
- USA Today
I remember my first Juneteenth. It's more than a Black holiday.
I remember my first Juneteenth. It's more than a Black holiday. | Opinion Juneteenth is a vital part of our nation's history that deserves recognition and celebration. Show Caption Hide Caption What is Juneteenth? The holiday's history and significance, explained. Here's why this once local celebration is significant to U.S. history. Just at the moment Americans need it most, some cities have either scaled back or canceled their Juneteenth celebrations altogether, fearing that they might violate the Trump administration's ban on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Juneteenth is a powerful symbol of liberation, representing the breaking of oppressive chains that once confined countless lives. Instead of shying away from this critical commemoration, our nation should engage in deep and transformative conversations. This is exactly what's happening in Milwaukee, which has one of the oldest and longest running events in the country drawing about 50,000 people annually. This year marks the 54th celebration in the city, and it promises to be one of the largest and most exciting as Summerfest will officially celebrate Juneteenth for the first time in its history. What does Juneteenth mean? It's more than a Black holiday. While June 19, 1865, marks the day when the last enslaved people in America learned of their freedom, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, it is also significant because it highlights the richness of African American culture, history, cuisine and community. Juneteenth is not just a Black holiday; it is a vital part of our nation's history that deserves recognition and celebration. 'The day is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the best in our community – our young people, middle-aged, and our seniors. Juneteenth is for everyone, and we want everyone to come and join in on this celebration,' said Tony Kearney, executive director of Northcott Neighborhood House, the group that organizes Milwaukee's event. Opinion: Juneteenth has fallen victim to racial capitalism. Black Americans are no longer the focus. It's my favorite holiday because it reminds me of the remarkable efforts made by individuals to honor this day long before it became a federal holiday. Milwaukeeans have been observing this day for over half a century, well before it received federal recognition in June 2021. Therefore, regardless of what the Trump administration does, the celebration of Juneteenth here will remain unchanged. For the cities that canceled their celebrations, it's a missed opportunity because Juneteenth celebrates one of the most important moments in Black history. I first celebrated Juneteenth with grandparents in Mississippi The idea that Trump might target Juneteenth is speculation. He has not directly addressed the holiday, but some believe it contradicts his objective to dismantle DEI initiatives. This concern is not unreasonable, as his administration has already taken steps to weaken the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. Trump has also launched a campaign against educational institutions that he disparagingly labels as teaching 'woke' material, referring to content that discusses honestly the mistreatment of African Americans in the United States. Additionally, he has mentioned that there are too many federal holidays, which has led to speculation about whether Juneteenth, the most recent federal holiday established, might be at risk. Opinion: Celebrating Juneteenth isn't rejecting the Fourth of July. It honors freedom for all. Long before it became a holiday, I first celebrated Juneteenth in Mississippi with my grandparents nearly five decades ago. It was then that I learned that Juneteenth, which is a blend of "June" and "nineteen," marks a day steeped in triumph of freedom. My parents would send me to Gloster to help work on their cattle and pig farm. Although it was hard work, I learned a lot about my roots, Black history and race relations. I will always remember how we celebrated Jubilee Day on June 19. My grandmother made a red velvet cake, and our neighbors contributed various red treats such as strawberries, watermelon, red soda and, one of my favorites, rhubarb pie. My grandfather Orelious Pinkney led a toast under the shade of a tree in our front yard. We all raised our red sodas as he explained that the color red represented the blood shed in our quest for freedom. I was very young, but that moment was unforgettable. It was also the only time I could indulge in so many sweets without being scolded. Why wouldn't this country want to celebrate the end of slavery? Some US cities have canceled or scaled back Juneteenth celebrations Due to logistical challenges related to safety and the current political climate, several cities across the United States have canceled their Juneteenth celebrations this year, despite the event's historical significance. In New Jersey, the Metuchen Edison Piscataway Area Branch of the NAACP announced its decision to relocate its Juneteenth celebration away from federal property due to concerns about potentially violating Trump's DEI stance. In Indianapolis, Juneteenth organizers said they would cancel this year's parade after failing to secure a location for the event. However, James Webb, cofounder and executive director of Indy Juneteenth, told the Indy Star that the festival will still be held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on June 21. Organizers in Plano, Illinois, announced in January the cancellation of their Juneteenth celebration due to circumstances beyond their control. Officials in Bend, Oregon, cited safety concerns as the reason for canceling their event. Organizing a celebration requires funding from various sources. Fortunately, Milwaukee has strong sponsorship support for this event from local professional sports teams, Bader Philanthropies and numerous vendor booths along King Drive. Additionally, more than 400 volunteers and committees work together to ensure that everything runs smoothly. This year's celebration is expected to draw a record crowd because it coincides with the kickoff of Summerfest. Kearney hopes this partnership will attract new attendees to Summerfest who might not typically participate while encouraging Summerfest visitors to join the Juneteenth parade and festival on King Drive, thereby introducing them to the experience. Along King Drive, there will be activities for everyone, with dedicated zones for various groups and interests: Share your opinion: Juneteenth is a federal holiday – but it's new to me. Is it important to you? Tell us. | Opinion Forum The Kids Zone at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School will feature horseback riding and a petting zoo. A Veterans Zone near the Clinton Rose Senior Center will provide opportunities for veterans to connect and learn about various resources available to them. The Teen Zone, located near the basketball courts by Clinton Rose, will host a basketball tournament and feature a DJ playing the latest hip-hop music. A Senior Zone near the former Walgreens will offer activities specifically designed for seniors. Finally, a new Pan-African Zone at the Clinton Rose Center will enable groups from different African diasporas to connect and share their experiences and cultural traditions. After the celebration on King Drive, Summerfest will feature multiple stages and performances by artists such as Gary Clark Jr., Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Ginuwine, Joy Oladokun and The Isley Brothers. Juneteenth reminder of struggles and achievements Despite other cities scaling back or canceling their Juneteenth events, Rob Smith, a history professor and director of the Center for Urban Research at Marquette University, says Black people should continue to celebrate Juneteenth as a reminder of both the struggles they have faced and their achievements. Smith highlights that, unlike the Fourth of July, which celebrates America's freedom and liberty, this freedom did not initially extend to Black people due to slavery. Regardless of whether it is officially recognized as a federal holiday, Juneteenth will always be my favorite holiday. I will celebrate it by sharing my family's history and enjoying red pop while toasting my ancestors who paved the way for me. James E. Causey is an Ideas Lab reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, where this column originally appeared. Reach him at jcausey@ or follow him on X: @jecausey.
3 hours ago
Friends say Minnesota shooting suspect was deeply religious and conservative
NEW YORK -- The man accused of assassinating the top Democrat in the Minnesota House held deeply religious and politically conservative views, telling a congregation in Africa two years ago that the U.S. was in a 'bad place' where most churches didn't oppose abortion. Vance Luther Boelter, 57, was captured late Sunday following a two-day manhunt authorities described as the largest in the state's history. Boelter is accused of impersonating a police officer and gunning down former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their home outside Minneapolis. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz described the shooting as 'a politically motivated assassination.' Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were shot earlier by the same gunman at their home nearby but survived. Friends and former colleagues interviewed by AP described Boelter as a devout Christian who attended an evangelical church and went to campaign rallies for President Donald Trump. Records show Boelter registered to vote as a Republican while living in Oklahoma in 2004 before moving to Minnesota where voters don't list party affiliation. Near the scene at Hortman's home, authorities say they found an SUV made to look like those used by law enforcement. Inside they found fliers for a local anti-Trump 'No Kings' rally scheduled for Saturday and a notebook with names of other lawmakers. The list also included the names of abortion rights advocates and health care officials, according to two law enforcement officials who could not discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity. Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said at a briefing on Sunday that Boelter is not believed to have made any public threats before the attacks. Evans asked the public not to speculate on a motivation for the attacks. 'We often want easy answers for complex problems,' he told reporters. 'Those answers will come as we complete the full picture of our investigation.' Friends told the AP that they knew Boelter was religious and conservative, but that he didn't talk about politics often and didn't seem extreme. "He was right-leaning politically but never fanatical, from what I saw, just strong beliefs,' said Paul Schroeder, who has known Boelter for years. Boelter, who worked as a security contractor, gave a glimpse of his beliefs on abortion during a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2023. While there, Boelter served as an evangelical pastor, telling people he had first found Jesus as a teenager. 'The churches are so messed up, they don't know abortion is wrong in many churches,' he said, according to an online recording of one sermon from February 2023. Still, in three lengthy sermons reviewed by the AP, he only mentioned abortion once, focusing more on his love of God and what he saw as the moral decay in his native country. He appears to have hidden his more strident beliefs from his friends back home. 'He never talked to me about abortion,' Schroeder said. 'It seemed to be just that he was a conservative Republican who naturally followed Trump.' A married father with five children, Boelter and his wife own a sprawling 3,800-square-foot house on a large rural lot about an hour from downtown Minneapolis that the couple bought in 2023 for more than a half-million dollars. He worked for decades in managerial roles for food and beverage manufacturers before seeking to reinvent himself in middle age, according to resumes and a video he posted online. After getting an undergraduate degree in international relations in his 20s, Boelter went back to school and earned a master's degree and then a doctorate in leadership studies in 2016 from Cardinal Stritch University, a private Catholic college in Wisconsin that has since shut down. While living in Wisconsin, records show Boelter and his wife Jenny founded a nonprofit corporation called Revoformation Ministries, listing themselves as the president and secretary. After moving to Minnesota about a decade ago, Boelter volunteered for a position on a state workforce development board, first appointed by then-Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat, in 2016, and later by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz. He served through 2023. In that position, he may have crossed paths with one of his alleged victims. Hoffman served on the same board, though authorities said it was not immediately clear how much the two men may have interacted. Records show Boelter and his wife started a security firm in 2018. A website for Praetorian Guard Security Services lists Boelter's wife as the president and CEO while he is listed as the director of security patrols. The company's homepage says it provides armed security for property and events and features a photo of an SUV painted in a two-tone black and silver pattern similar to a police vehicle, with a light bar across the roof and 'Praetorian' painted across the doors. Another photo shows a man in black tactical gear with a military-style helmet and a ballistic vest with the company's name across the front. In an online resume, Boelter also billed himself as a security contractor who worked oversees in the Middle East and Africa. On his trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo, he told Chris Fuller, a friend, that he had founded several companies focused on farming and fishing on the Congo River, as well as in transportation and tractor sales. 'It has been a very fun and rewarding experience and I only wished I had done something like this 10 years ago,' he wrote in a message shared with the AP. But once he returned home in 2023, there were signs that Boelter was struggling financially. That August, he began working for a transport service for a funeral home, mostly picking up bodies of those who had died in assisted living facilities — a job he described as he needed to do to pay bills. Tim Koch, the owner of Metro First Call, said Boelter 'voluntarily left' that position about four months ago. 'This is devastating news for all involved,' Koch said, declining to elaborate on the reasons for Boelter's departure, citing the ongoing law enforcement investigation. Boelter had also started spending some nights away from his family, renting a room in a modest house in northern Minneapolis shared by friends. Heavily armed police executed a search warrant on the home Saturday. In the hours before Saturday's shootings, Boelter texted two roommates to tell them he loved them and that 'I'm going to be gone for a while,' according to Schroeder, who was forwarded the text and read it to the AP. 'May be dead shortly, so I just want to let you know I love you guys both and I wish it hadn't gone this way,' Boelter wrote. 'I don't want to say anything more and implicate you in any way because you guys don't know anything about this. But I love you guys and I'm sorry for the trouble this has caused.'
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump, in reversal, may exempt farms and hotels from immigration raids
President Donald Trump said on social media Thursday that he is willing to exempt the agriculture and hotel industries from his nationwide immigration crackdown. The surprise move came after executives in both industries complained to Trump about losing reliable, longtime immigrant workers in immigration raids and struggling to replace them. 'Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace,' Trump wrote. 'In many cases the Criminals allowed into our Country by the VERY Stupid Biden Open Borders Policy are applying for those jobs," he added. "This is not good. We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA. Changes are coming!' The New York Times reported the next day that a senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement official had ordered a pause in immigration raids at agricultural businesses, meat packing plants, restaurants and hotels. The senior ICE official also advised agents to stop arresting undocumented people who are not known to have committed crimes. Agents were told to continue to investigate and detain undocumented people with criminal backgrounds, according to the Times. In response to a question from NBC News about Trump's pause, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin did not dispute it. 'We will follow the president's direction and continue to work to get the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens off of America's streets," she said in a statement. Trump faces a political crossroads. Immigration raids in Los Angeles sparked days of violent protests there and helped fuel sweeping anti-Trump protests nationwide Saturday. At the same time, Trump repeatedly promised his supporters during the 2024 campaign that he would deport a million people a year, the largest mass deportations in U.S. history. To meet that goal, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller demanded last month that ICE arrest at least 3,000 undocumented people a day. Three former DHS officials told NBC News that ICE officials will have to significantly increase raids of large workplaces nationwide to meet those goals. The sites include farms, meatpacking plants, hotels and restaurants — the industries Trump appears to have exempted. A former ICE official said that only raids on 'construction, dairy [and] meat processing facilities, carpet mills' would result in the large number of detentions Miller has demanded. 'It's these low-wage jobs, that is where you get the numbers,' the former official said. During the 2024 campaign and since he returned to office, Trump has dismissed warnings from experts that such large-scale deportations would lead to worker shortages in the industries he is apparently exempting now. But groups that support his crackdown expect him to keep his promise. 'They should be going after them,' said Ira Mehlman, a spokesperson for Federation for American Immigration Reform, a group that supports a crackdown on undocumented workers. 'I don't think there is going to be a huge swath of the country that will be upset if they bust these companies, if they are employing illegal immigrants and passing on the cost to everyone else.' For years, slaughterhouses have been one of the industries best known for relying on newly arrived immigrant labor, in part because of the difficult and dangerous nature of the work. And many slaughterhouses are in red states scattered throughout the Midwest and the Southeast. Texas alone has almost 500 meat and food processing plants, according to Agriculture Department data. ICE agents last week raided a locally owned slaughterhouse in Omaha, Nebraska, and arrested at least 80 undocumented workers, according to local officials. Chad Hartmann, a spokesperson for Glenn Valley Foods, said in a statement that federal agents searched the company's facility 'for persons believed to be using fraudulent documents to gain employment.' He said that the company strives to operate within the law, that it is cooperating with agents and that it 'is not being charged with any crime.' But so far ICE has not consistently targeted large slaughterhouses around the country. Since Trump took office in January, ICE's workplace enforcement raids appear to have largely targeted smaller businesses, such as a roofer in Bellingham, Washington; a Mexican restaurant in Harlingen, Texas; and a small equipment manufacturer in South Dakota. One of the largest workplace raids to date — which yielded more than 100 arrests — was at a construction site in Tallahassee overseen by a privately owned Florida-based construction company. Larry Stine, an employment attorney who represents some of the largest meatpacking plants in the Southeast, says his clients are 'terrified' of a possible raid and have been actively auditing their employees' paperwork. Trump did not mention an exemption for the construction industry, which also employs large numbers of immigrant workers. So far, though, the construction industry has experienced relatively few ICE raids, industry officials said. Brian Turmail, vice president of public affairs for the Associated General Contractors of America, said that to date, he is aware of only sporadic reports of construction site raids, such as one in Tallahassee on May 29 when more than 100 allegedly undocumented people were detained. The contractors' association continues to prepare members for how to respond if the pace of enforcement actions increases. 'We've been reposting compliance information now that it's a bit more real,' Turmail said. Turmail said he remains confident that Trump is sensitive to the needs of the construction industry, whose decadeslong workforce shortage has only grown more acute in recent years. It's one reason construction costs have been surging, he said, which, in turn, has resulted in construction spending's declining year on year for the first time since 2019. 'Between higher labor and higher material costs, it's putting developers on the sidelines because projects don't pencil out anymore,' Turmail said. Members of the contractors' association remain hopeful that the administration's promises to reorient more of the workforce toward vocational skills will turn into federal spending to do so. Turmail predicted that worker shortages will persist and most likely worsen if the immigration crackdown continues. One way the administration could help address them, he said, would be to create ways for construction workers to enter the country legally. 'Even if we got all the funding we wanted, we'd still need to also find some temporary lawful pathways for people to come in and work in construction,' he said. Democrats say Trump's campaign promises of millions of mass deportations are hitting economic realities. John Sandweg, who was ICE director during the Obama administration, said that to maintain its 3,000 arrests per day quota, the Trump administration would have to raid factories owned by large corporations. 'No doubt some Fortune 500 will get hit,' he said. This article was originally published on
