Joe Biden’s office announced Sunday that the former president had been diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that had metastasized to his bones.
Almost immediately, doctors took to social media to explain the diagnosis and what it meant for Biden. But many physicians were shocked that Biden — who in theory underwent routine, high-quality medical examinations in the White House — did not have his cancer discovered until it had progressed to such a late stage.
The timing led some doctors to wonder whether Biden’s physicians had missed something, or if an earlier diagnosis had gone unreported.
“Sad and unfortunate and I wish the former President the best in his treatment of this cancer,” Congressman Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), who previously served as the White House physician, wrote on X. “Care at the White House should be second to none. Unbelievable this was missed, but the truth is, his physician was more concerned about assisting with the political cover up than providing world class medical care.”
Sad and unfortunate and I wish the former President the best in his treatment of this cancer. Care at the White House should be second to none. Unbelievable this was missed, but the truth is, his physician was more concerned about assisting with the political cover up than…
— Ronny Jackson (@RonnyJacksonTX) May 18, 2025
Many doctors who raised questions about Biden’s diagnosis noted that prostate cancer is commonly detected early with a simple blood test for Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA), a protein that can indicate the presence of cancer. When detected early — in Stages I,II, or III, when the cancer has not spread beyond the prostate gland — the average five-year survival rate is close to 100%. The average five-year survival rate for men with Stage IV or metastatic prostate cancer drops to 28%.
Dr. Chris George, who serves as the medical director of Northwestern Health Network’s cancer program, told Reuters it was concerning that Biden’s cancer had already spread to his bones.
“What concerns me … is the fact that the cancer has been reported to have already spread beyond the prostate to the bones. And when the cancer has spread to the bones, that makes it stage 4, that that means that the cancer is not curable,” George said. “There’s no treatment available that can cure the cancer. There’s definitely treatment available that can control the cancer.”
Dr. Chris George, medical director of the cancer program for the Northwestern Health Network, spoke to @Reuters : “What concerns me … is the fact that the cancer has been reported to have already spread beyond the prostate to the bones. And when the cancer has spread to the…
— Nandita Bose (@nanditab1) May 18, 2025
George said it was possible that Biden’s cancer was simply so aggressive that it had advanced dramatically since Biden’s last routine physical. But he said that scenario still raised questions as to whether a PSA screening might have caught the problem sooner.
“I would assume that the former president gets a very thorough physical every year,” George said. “I would be interested to know what his PSA was the last time it was checked.”
“It’s sort of hard for me to believe that he’s had a PSA within the past year, that was normal,” George told Reuters. “It’s possible. It’s definitely possible, but that would surprise me … Usually prostate cancer doesn’t, you know, go full throttle like this too often. When it does, that’s usually a bad, bad sign. That’s an aggressive cancer for sure. But it does seem odd to me.”
Dr. Steven Quay, a former faculty member at the Stanford University School of Medicine’s Pathology Department, also noted the significance of PSA screenings and how well it can detect prostate cancer in its early stages.
“Prostate cancer is the easiest cancer to diagnose when it first starts and to watch it progress to bone metastases. The PSA blood test shows the rate of cancer cell growth,” Quay said in an X post.
“For even with the most aggressive form, it is a 5-7 year journey without treatment before it becomes metastatic. Meaning, it would be malpractice for this patient to show up and be first diagnosed with metastatic disease in May 2025. It is highly likely he was carrying a diagnosis of prostate cancer throughout his White House tenure and the American people were uninformed.”
In response to post suggesting that Biden may not have been tested — some guidelines to not recommend PSA screenings for men over 70 unless they have risk factors — Quay pushed back.
“It is not credible to imagine that a Senator, Vice President, and President could not have undergone routine blood tests that included PSA,” Quay said. “I repeat my belief that it would be malpractice to not test PSA in a male U.S. President.”
“Yes, there are less than 5% of patients who can present with metastatic disease without primary indications via the PSA but … Come on, Man!!”
Health care policies related to screening guidelines are designed for populations, often millions of people, with respect to a particular screening test. They take into account healthcare cost, downstream practises, etc. It is not credible to imagine that a Senator, Vice… https://t.co/dleeJqocsn
— Dr Steven Quay (@quay_dr) May 19, 2025
Rep. Greg Murphy (R-NC), a surgeon, also stressed the importance of PSA screenings and wondered how it was possible that Biden would not have been screened.
“Prostate cancer is diagnosed by a blood test called prostate specific antigen, or PSA as well as rectal examination. Makes me wonder why someone running for President of the United States, especially someone who is elderly, did not have these examinations. Screening is critical.”
Prostate cancer is diagnosed by a blood test called prostate specific antigen, or PSA as well as rectal examination. Makes me wonder why someone running for President of the United States, especially someone who is elderly, did not have these examinations. Screening is critical.
— Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (@RepGregMurphy) May 18, 2025
Dr. Howard Forman — a professor of radiology, economics, public health, and management at Yale University — said it was “inconceivable” that Biden had showed no prior signs of the disease.
“It is inconceivable that this was not being followed before he left the Presidency. Gleason grade 9 would have had an elevated PSA level for some time before this diagnosis. And he must have had a PSA test numerous times before. This is odd. I wish him well and hope he has an opportunity for maximizing his quality of life,” he said.
It is inconceivable that this was not being followed before he left the Presidency. Gleason grade 9 would have had an elevated PSA level for some time before this diagnosis. And he must have had a PSA test numerous times before. This is odd.
I wish him well and hope he has an… https://t.co/SKPETi0E7l
— (((Howard Forman))) (@thehowie) May 18, 2025
Urologist Dr. David Shusterman told NewsNation Sunday that Biden’s diagnosis would make sense for someone who wound up in the emergency room after forgoing medical care for years — not a former president receiving top-notch care.
Urologist Dr. David Shusterman joins @natashanzouves to discuss President Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis, which his office labeled an aggressive form of cancer.
More: https://t.co/zmzeLQ605o pic.twitter.com/w2Qckmv1tX
— NewsNation (@NewsNation) May 19, 2025
Dr. Drew Pinsky questioned whether or not Biden’s health care team might have known something sooner.
“To be fair, beginning with the finding of a nodule and then discovering advanced disease does not pass the sniff test,” Dr. Drew Pinsky said. “Someone not receiving adequate or routine healthcare this would make some sense but does not fit the level of medical supervision given to POTUS,” he said.
To be fair, beginning with the finding of a nodule and then discovering advanced disease does not pass the sniff test. Someone not receiving adequate or routine healthcare this would make some sense but does not fit the level of medical supervision given to POTUS. https://t.co/ldujgqqWiM
— Dr. Drew (@drdrew) May 18, 2025
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