Things to know about Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis

Former President Joe Biden s office commented Sunday that he has been diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer and is reviewing therapy options with his doctors Biden was having increasing urinary manifestations and was seen last week by doctors who determined a prostate nodule On Friday he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and the cancer cells have spread to the bone his office revealed in a comment When caught early prostate cancer is highly survivable but it is also the second-leading cause of cancer death in men About one in eight men will be diagnosed over their lifetime with prostate cancer according to the American Cancer Society Here are selected things to know about prostate cancer that has spread What is the prostate gland The prostate is part of the reproductive system in men It makes fluid for semen It s located below the bladder and it wraps around the urethra the tube that carries urine and semen out through the penis How serious is Biden s cancer Biden s cancer has spread to the bone his office noted That makes it more serious than localized or early-stage prostate cancer Outcomes have improved in new decades and patients can expect to live with metastatic prostate cancer for four or five years declared Dr Matthew Smith of Massachusetts General Brigham Cancer Center It s very treatable but not curable Smith revealed What are the medicine options Prostate cancer can be treated with drugs that lower levels of hormones in the body or stop them from getting into prostate cancer cells The drugs can slow down the progress of cancer cells Majority of men in this situation would be treated with drugs and would not be advised to have either surgery or radiation therapy Smith revealed What is a Gleason result Prostate cancers are graded for aggressiveness using what s known as a Gleason sum The scores range from to with and prostate cancers behaving more aggressively Biden s office announced his result was suggesting his cancer is among the largest part aggressive The Associated Press Soundness and Science Department receives advocacy from the Howard Hughes Health Institute s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation The AP is solely responsible for all content Source