Latest news with #PSA-based
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Biden Tries to Put MAGA Claims of a Cancer ‘Cover-Up' to Bed
President Joe Biden has responded to rampant speculation about a 'cover-up' of the true state of his health. Biden's office said Tuesday that his last known test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) was in 2014. The blood test is used to screen for prostate cancer, which the 82-year-old former president was diagnosed with last week. 'Prior to Friday, President Biden had never been diagnosed with prostate cancer,' a statement by his office read. Biden's team said Sunday that he was diagnosed with a 'more aggressive form' of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones. His tumor was 'characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5),' meaning that it ranked highly on the grading system for prostate cancer. Many of President Donald Trump's allies and supporters jumped on the news with wild claims that Biden and the Democratic Party had long been aware of the cancer diagnosis, but decided to cover it up to remain in power or evade pressing questions about his health. President Donald Trump boosted those conspiracies on Monday by urging people to 'try and find out what happened… Somebody is not telling the facts. That's a big problem.' But the revelation that Biden's last PSA test was 11 years ago, when he was just over 70 years old, aligns with longstanding medical guidelines about testing for prostate cancer. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of experts, 'recommends against PSA-based screening for prostate cancer in men 70 years and older.' 'Older men are more likely to have false positive test results,' the U.S. CDC says, adding that 'screening finds prostate cancer in some men who would never have had symptoms from their cancer in their lifetime.' The Harvard Medical School advises men over 70 to get a PSA test only if they're willing to get a prostate biopsy and undergo treatment immediately if the biopsy reveals cancer cells. 'If a man older than 70 answers 'yes' to both questions, is otherwise in good health and has a life expectancy of at least 10 years, getting a PSA test might be a reasonable choice,' it said. Yet some conservatives remained unconvinced by the latest statement from Biden's office. Nick Sortor, a right-wing influencer, called it 'absolute bulls–t.' 'SUBPOENA BIDEN'S DOCTOR!' he wrote on X. Republican Congressman Ronny Jackson, a former Trump physician, said it was 'unbelievable' that Biden's last PSA test was in 2014. 'Dr. Kevin O'Connor was his doctor the entire time,' he said. 'MALPRACTICE!!!' RedWave Press, a popular X account for 'conservative-based news,' wrote: 'I find this hard to believe.'
20-05-2025
- Health
Biden last had a prostate cancer antigen blood test in 2014, spokesperson says
A representative for former President Joe Biden said he last took a prostate-specific antigen blood test, commonly used to screen for prostate cancer, in 2014. Although the exact date of the test wasn't disclosed, Biden was around 72 years old at the time, which falls in line with current medical guidance and recommendations on who should take a test. Current screening recommendations suggest men age 55 to 69 should discuss the benefits and harms of a PSA test with their doctor and make an individual decision when or if they need it. Men 70 and older should not receive PSA-based screening because of the risk of false positives, according to the United States Preventive Services Task Force. "Prior to Friday, President Biden had never been diagnosed with prostate cancer," the spokesperson said in a statement. Biden announced Sunday that he had an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones. A PSA screening is not a perfect test, medical experts say. The older a person is, the more the risk of false positives and unnecessary biopsies increases. Conversely, some people with cancer might have good PSA scores. PSA screening is highly debated among doctors in terms of when it's appropriate to use. Biden's representatives said the former president had a routine physical last week and doctors discovered a small nodule in his prostate. Since his diagnosis was revealed two days ago, President Donald Trump questioned the timing of the announcement and claimed that "somebody is not telling the facts." "I'm surprised that it wasn't, you know -- the public wasn't notified a long time ago because to get to stage nine -- that's a long time," Trump said Monday.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Why Biden may not have known about his 'aggressive' prostate cancer until recently
Former President Joe Biden's office announced on Sunday that he was diagnosed with an "aggressive" form of prostate cancer. Biden's office also said the cancer had metastasized, spreading to his bones. Although some people were left wondering why the cancer was caught only after reaching a Gleason score of 9, oncology experts told ABC News that it's not uncommon for older prostate cancer patients to receive a diagnosis after the disease has advanced or spread. MORE: What to know about prostate cancer after former President Joe Biden's diagnosis "Prostate cancer is something that we always hope screening will identify early, when the cancer is all still inside the prostate," Dr. Alicia Morgans, a genitourinary medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and a member of the board of directors of the no-profit Zero Prostate Cancer, told ABC News. "Even if we screen everybody perfectly, there will never be 100% detection of prostate cancer because, in truth, cancer does not follow a rule book," Morgans continued. "And just because we are trying to catch it early doesn't mean it necessarily is present when we screen." One screening test for prostate cancer involves a blood test that measures the level of prostate-specific antigens, which are proteins made by cells in the prostate gland. Although there is no cutoff level that clearly indicates the presence of cancer, many doctors use a cutoff of 4 nanograms per milliliter to recommend further tests with a urologist, according to the American Cancer Society. For an advanced form of cancer like Biden's, a recent PSA test would have likely shown elevated levels. However, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends against PSA-based screening for men age 70 and older due to harms such as false positives leading to more tests or a diagnosis of problems that would not have caused symptoms or death. MORE: Former President Joe Biden's cancer diagnosis: What does a Gleason score of 9 mean? Morgans said it's unclear what the former president and his doctor discussed regarding screening, but it's plausible that he did not undergo PSA screening. "It is absolutely possible that President Biden, like so many men over that age, have decided to stop doing PSA screening because they've decided that it is not consistent with their overall health goals and wishes, and that is completely reasonable," Morgans said. Morgans said some men in their 70s and 80s do still undergo PSA screening for prostate cancer based on conversations with their primary care physicians and what's right for them. Even so, it's possible that the results were normal -- either due to a false negative or because their cancer was not present at the time, she said. "Prostate cancer can develop between screening tests," Morgans said. "It doesn't necessarily grow super slowly. It can develop between screenings, and it can be aggressive when it does develop; that doesn't mean it's not treatable." Dr. Alan Bryce, chief clinical officer for City of Hope Cancer Center Phoenix, said there may be some patients who receive PSA screening results showing borderline-high results who decide not to pursue further testing. "There are absolutely scenarios where that conversation happens with a patient or their family member," Bryce told ABC News. "All of them might say, 'You know what? Given where we're at in life, we're not that worried about this. Let's go ahead and wait another year.'" MORE: 'Strongest in the broken places': Joe and Jill Biden say thanks amid cancer diagnosis Bryce, a medical oncologist specializing in prostate and testicular cancers, added that shared decision-making is important when it comes to deciding if a patient wants to pursue prostate cancer screening -- and if they want to test further following test results that are abnormal. "As physicians, we present patients with options and recommendations but, at the end of the day, it's still the patient's decision," he said. "So, it's entirely possible that a conversation happens and the patient decides they don't want to proceed with further workup. Maybe they don't want to do a scan, maybe they don't want to do a biopsy." Advanced prostate cancer can present symptoms such as a weak urination stream; needing to urinate more often; erectile dysfunction; fatigue; weight loss; loss of bladder or bowel control; and pain in the ribs, hips and spine when the cancer had spread to the bones, according to the ACS. Morgans said just because a patient has advanced prostate cancer, it doesn't necessarily mean that they will exhibit symptoms. "I would say that it's more common than not that people sit in my office and tell me, 'You know, I don't have any symptoms. I don't understand how I have this cancer. I certainly don't understand how it could have spread outside of my prostate,'" Morgans said. "It is very common for people to be completely asymptomatic." Bryce added that some symptoms, such as difficulty urinating or a weak urination stream, may be due to an enlarged prostate, which is common in older men. "It is entirely normal that in older men, there is a degree of urinary obstruction that just happens with age," he said. "It's entirely possible that a man just has normal symptoms associated with aging and nothing about it stands out as being related to a cancerous process." Why Biden may not have known about his 'aggressive' prostate cancer until recently originally appeared on
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Why Biden may not have known about his 'aggressive' prostate cancer until recently
Former President Joe Biden's office announced on Sunday that he was diagnosed with an "aggressive" form of prostate cancer. Biden's office also said the cancer had metastasized, spreading to his bones. Although some people were left wondering why the cancer was caught only after reaching a Gleason score of 9, oncology experts told ABC News that it's not uncommon for older prostate cancer patients to receive a diagnosis after the disease has advanced or spread. MORE: What to know about prostate cancer after former President Joe Biden's diagnosis "Prostate cancer is something that we always hope screening will identify early, when the cancer is all still inside the prostate," Dr. Alicia Morgans, a genitourinary medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and a member of the board of directors of the no-profit Zero Prostate Cancer, told ABC News. "Even if we screen everybody perfectly, there will never be 100% detection of prostate cancer because, in truth, cancer does not follow a rule book," Morgans continued. "And just because we are trying to catch it early doesn't mean it necessarily is present when we screen." One screening test for prostate cancer involves a blood test that measures the level of prostate-specific antigens, which are proteins made by cells in the prostate gland. Although there is no cutoff level that clearly indicates the presence of cancer, many doctors use a cutoff of 4 nanograms per milliliter to recommend further tests with a urologist, according to the American Cancer Society. For an advanced form of cancer like Biden's, a recent PSA test would have likely shown elevated levels. However, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends against PSA-based screening for men age 70 and older due to harms such as false positives leading to more tests or a diagnosis of problems that would not have caused symptoms or death. MORE: Former President Joe Biden's cancer diagnosis: What does a Gleason score of 9 mean? Morgans said it's unclear what the former president and his doctor discussed regarding screening, but it's plausible that he did not undergo PSA screening. "It is absolutely possible that President Biden, like so many men over that age, have decided to stop doing PSA screening because they've decided that it is not consistent with their overall health goals and wishes, and that is completely reasonable," Morgans said. Morgans said some men in their 70s and 80s do still undergo PSA screening for prostate cancer based on conversations with their primary care physicians and what's right for them. Even so, it's possible that the results were normal -- either due to a false negative or because their cancer was not present at the time, she said. "Prostate cancer can develop between screening tests," Morgans said. "It doesn't necessarily grow super slowly. It can develop between screenings, and it can be aggressive when it does develop; that doesn't mean it's not treatable." Dr. Alan Bryce, chief clinical officer for City of Hope Cancer Center Phoenix, said there may be some patients who receive PSA screening results showing borderline-high results who decide not to pursue further testing. "There are absolutely scenarios where that conversation happens with a patient or their family member," Bryce told ABC News. "All of them might say, 'You know what? Given where we're at in life, we're not that worried about this. Let's go ahead and wait another year.'" MORE: 'Strongest in the broken places': Joe and Jill Biden say thanks amid cancer diagnosis Bryce, a medical oncologist specializing in prostate and testicular cancers, added that shared decision-making is important when it comes to deciding if a patient wants to pursue prostate cancer screening -- and if they want to test further following test results that are abnormal. "As physicians, we present patients with options and recommendations but, at the end of the day, it's still the patient's decision," he said. "So, it's entirely possible that a conversation happens and the patient decides they don't want to proceed with further workup. Maybe they don't want to do a scan, maybe they don't want to do a biopsy." Advanced prostate cancer can present symptoms such as a weak urination stream; needing to urinate more often; erectile dysfunction; fatigue; weight loss; loss of bladder or bowel control; and pain in the ribs, hips and spine when the cancer had spread to the bones, according to the ACS. Morgans said just because a patient has advanced prostate cancer, it doesn't necessarily mean that they will exhibit symptoms. "I would say that it's more common than not that people sit in my office and tell me, 'You know, I don't have any symptoms. I don't understand how I have this cancer. I certainly don't understand how it could have spread outside of my prostate,'" Morgans said. "It is very common for people to be completely asymptomatic." Bryce added that some symptoms, such as difficulty urinating or a weak urination stream, may be due to an enlarged prostate, which is common in older men. "It is entirely normal that in older men, there is a degree of urinary obstruction that just happens with age," he said. "It's entirely possible that a man just has normal symptoms associated with aging and nothing about it stands out as being related to a cancerous process." Why Biden may not have known about his 'aggressive' prostate cancer until recently originally appeared on
19-05-2025
- Health
Why Biden may not have known about his 'aggressive' prostate cancer until recently
Former President Joe Biden's office announced on Sunday that he was diagnosed with an "aggressive" form of prostate cancer. Biden's office also said the cancer had metastasized, spreading to his bones. Although some people were left wondering why the cancer was caught only after reaching a Gleason score of 9, oncology experts told ABC News that it's not uncommon for older prostate cancer patients to receive a diagnosis after the disease has advanced or spread. "Prostate cancer is something that we always hope screening will identify early, when the cancer is all still inside the prostate," Dr. Alicia Morgans, a genitourinary medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and a member of the board of directors of the no-profit Zero Prostate Cancer, told ABC News. "Even if we screen everybody perfectly, there will never be 100% detection of prostate cancer because, in truth, cancer does not follow a rule book," Morgans continued. "And just because we are trying to catch it early doesn't mean it necessarily is present when we screen." PSA levels may not have been checked One screening test for prostate cancer involves a blood test that measures the level of prostate-specific antigens, which are proteins made by cells in the prostate gland. Although there is no cutoff level that clearly indicates the presence of cancer, many doctors use a cutoff of 4 nanograms per milliliter to recommend further tests with a urologist, according to the American Cancer Society. For an advanced form of cancer like Biden's, a recent PSA test would have likely shown elevated levels. However, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends against PSA-based screening for men age 70 and older due to harms such as false positives leading to more tests or a diagnosis of problems that would not have caused symptoms or death. Morgans said it's unclear what the former president and his doctor discussed regarding screening, but it's plausible that he did not undergo PSA screening. "It is absolutely possible that President Biden, like so many men over that age, have decided to stop doing PSA screening because they've decided that it is not consistent with their overall health goals and wishes, and that is completely reasonable," Morgans said. Cancer could have grown rapidly Morgans said some men in their 70s and 80s do still undergo PSA screening for prostate cancer based on conversations with their primary care physicians and what's right for them. Even so, it's possible that the results were normal -- either due to a false negative or because their cancer was not present at the time, she said. "Prostate cancer can develop between screening tests," Morgans said. "It doesn't necessarily grow super slowly. It can develop between screenings, and it can be aggressive when it does develop; that doesn't mean it's not treatable." Screening results could have been borderline Dr. Alan Bryce, chief clinical officer for City of Hope Cancer Center Phoenix, said there may be some patients who receive PSA screening results showing borderline-high results who decide not to pursue further testing. "There are absolutely scenarios where that conversation happens with a patient or their family member," Bryce told ABC News. "All of them might say, 'You know what? Given where we're at in life, we're not that worried about this. Let's go ahead and wait another year.'" Bryce, a medical oncologist specializing in prostate and testicular cancers, added that shared decision-making is important when it comes to deciding if a patient wants to pursue prostate cancer screening -- and if they want to test further following test results that are abnormal. "As physicians, we present patients with options and recommendations but, at the end of the day, it's still the patient's decision," he said. "So, it's entirely possible that a conversation happens and the patient decides they don't want to proceed with further workup. Maybe they don't want to do a scan, maybe they don't want to do a biopsy." No symptoms present Advanced prostate cancer can present symptoms such as a weak urination stream; needing to urinate more often; erectile dysfunction; fatigue; weight loss; loss of bladder or bowel control; and pain in the ribs, hips and spine when the cancer had spread to the bones, according to the ACS. Morgans said just because a patient has advanced prostate cancer, it doesn't necessarily mean that they will exhibit symptoms. "I would say that it's more common than not that people sit in my office and tell me, 'You know, I don't have any symptoms. I don't understand how I have this cancer. I certainly don't understand how it could have spread outside of my prostate,'" Morgans said. "It is very common for people to be completely asymptomatic." Bryce added that some symptoms, such as difficulty urinating or a weak urination stream, may be due to an enlarged prostate, which is common in older men. "It is entirely normal that in older men, there is a degree of urinary obstruction that just happens with age," he said. "It's entirely possible that a man just has normal symptoms associated with aging and nothing about it stands out as being related to a cancerous process."
