Joe Biden, aged 83 and the oldest man to serve as US president, is battling advanced prostate cancer that has metastasized beyond his bones to other parts of his body, causing severe pain and debilitation [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11]. He publicly announced his diagnosis of aggressive prostate cancer in May 2025, less than four months after leaving the White House, revealing that it had already spread to his bones by that time [1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11].
Biden underwent hormone therapy and radiation treatment, completing radiation around October 2025 [2, 3, 5, 8, 10, 11]. Despite these treatments, his cancer has continued to spread, making his condition worse [1, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11]. Hunter Biden described his father’s state as "very painful and very debilitating in many respects," adding that "it’s really sad to watch" and wishing his father would complain more about his poor health [1, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11]. Still, Joe Biden continues to speak publicly and remain active despite his illness [1, 5, 8, 10].
The cancer was assigned a Gleason score of 9, indicating it is highly aggressive and likely present since at least the start of Biden’s presidency in 2021, according to oncologists interviewed [10]. Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel stated, "He had it while he was president... He probably had it at the start of his presidency in 2021" [10].
Biden’s wife Jill said in June 2026 that the stage 4 cancer and its treatment have slowed him down but he "keeps his schedule". She noted, "Stage four cancer is — and he's 83 — so, I think the mix of everything and the medications that he's taken has made life a little more difficult these days" [10].
Early signs of health issues arose during Biden’s presidency. His poor debate performance in June 2024 and subsequent withdrawal from the presidential race raised speculation about his health [1, 4, 6, 8, 9].
Hunter Biden will publish a memoir, Promise Me, America, after the 2026 midterm elections, while Joe Biden’s presidential memoir is scheduled for release on November 17, 2026 [1, 2, 3].
