Everything we know about former US President Joe Biden’s aggressive cancer diagnosis
Speculation of a cover-up by the White House about Joe Biden’s health is mounting amid a bombshell new development. This is what we know so far.
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Speculation of a cover-up over Joe Biden’s new cancer diagnosis has deepened as it was revealed that the White House doctor who previously gave the former US president a clean bill of health is a longtime family friend.
Dr. Kevin O’Connor was the 82-year-old’s official physician during his White House stint and repeatedly maintained that Mr Biden was in top mental shape despite obvious signs of cognitive decline, according to a report in the New York Post.
O’Connor’s relationship with Mr Biden is one of the details under the spotlight as many questions surface about his aggressive cancer diagnosis.
From cover-up claims, to concerns about the level of medical care he was receiving and facts about prostate cancer, here is everything we know about Mr Biden’s aggressive cancer diagnosis.
WHAT HAS BIDEN SAID?
Mr Biden’s office said in a statement that he had been diagnosed Friday following the discovery of a prostate nodule, and that the cancer had spread to the bone.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management. The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians,” it added.
The statement added the cancer had “a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5).”
Prostate cancer that looks “very abnormal” is assigned the highest rating, Grade 5, according to the American Cancer Society.
The Gleason Score goes up to 10, indicating the seriousness of Mr Biden’s disease.
Cancer touches us all. 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. pic.twitter.com/oSS1vGIiwU
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 19, 2025
“Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places,” Mr Biden said on social media, including a photo of him and former first lady Dr Jill Biden.
“Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”
WHAT HAS TRUMP SAID?
US President Donald Trump fuelled speculation on Monday that Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis was covered up, saying he was “surprised” the public was not told about his predecessor’s condition earlier.
Mr Trump’s extraordinary claim came just a day after it emerged that his bitter Democratic political rival, 82, had an aggressive form of prostate cancer.
Trump also tried to tie the issue into a wider political row – sparked by a new book released this week – about whether Mr Biden’s White House covered up evidence of his cognitive decline while in office.
“I’m surprised that the public wasn’t notified a long time ago,” Mr Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked for his reaction to Mr Biden’s cancer.
“It takes a long time to get to that situation, to get to a stage nine,” he added.
Suggesting that tests when Mr Biden was president should have picked up signs of the disease, Mr Trump added: “If you take a look it’s the same doctor that said Joe was cognitively fine.
“There are things going on that the public wasn’t informed of.”
Mr Trump, who spent much of the 2024 election campaign bashing Mr Biden’s cognitive fitness, had said in a statement on Sunday that he was “saddened” by the diagnosis.
But 24 hours later he was leaning into accusations by others in his orbit of a cover-up, including his son Don Jr.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT BIDEN’S HEALTH AND COGNITIVE ABILITY?
In December 2019, Mr Biden’s team released details of his medical history as he launched his first election campaign against Donald Trump.
His doctor Kevin O’Connor pronounced him a “healthy, vigorous, 77-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State, and Commander in Chief.”
It was revealed Mr Biden had four medical conditions: a type of irregular heart rhythm; elevated level of fats or lipids in the blood known as hyperlipidemia; reflux and seasonal allergies.
Dr O’Connor also noted Mr Biden required treatment for an enlarged prostate – but “has never had prostate cancer.”
Mr Biden also had a number of non-melanoma skin cancers removed.
In November 2020, Mr Biden broke his foot while chasing his dog Major around and needed to wear a moon boot.
In November 2021, Mr Biden underwent his first official physical as president.
Dr O’Connor again pronounced him fit to serve.
In addition to his previous conditions, Mr Biden was now being treated for spinal arthritis and “mild sensory peripheral neuropathy” in both feet.
In July 2022 the then president contracted a mild case of Covid.
In February 2023 at age 80 he underwent his second physical as president which he again passed.
He had a skin cancer removed form his chest which turned out to be a basal cell carcinoma which required no further treatment.
In February 2024 Mr Biden had his third presidential physical.
As he was experiencing some symptoms of sleep apnoea he began using a positive airway pressure system while sleeping.
In July 2024 Mr Biden once again contracted Covid amid widespread calls for him to drop out of the election race given his disastrous debate performance the previous month and concerns about his cognitive health.
Days later, Mr Biden removed himself from the Democrat ticket.
DR. KEVIN O’CONNOR
Dr. O’Connor had cared for Mr Biden and other members of his family for more than a decade, with the New York Post reporting the physician also had business ties to Mr Biden’s young brother, James Biden, fuelling cover-up speculation.
The physician worked with Mr Biden’s younger brother on a rural hospital venture.
O’Connor was involved in business discussions with James for a since-bankrupted rural hospital chain that was later hit with fraud allegations.
O’Conner worked with Mr Biden during his vice presidency, too.
DO DOCTORS SUPPORT COVER-UP CLAIMS?
A number of high profile medical experts have expressed incredulity at how they cancer went undetected for so long.
Among them are radiology professor Dr Howard Forman.
“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,” Dr Forman wrote on X.
“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 maximising his quality of life.”
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.
— (((Howard Forman))) (@thehowie) May 18, 2025
I wish him well and hope he has an… https://t.co/SKPETi0E7l
His concerns were echoed by prominent American physician and author Dr Steven Quay.
“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. For even with the most aggressive form, it is a 5-7 year journey without treatment before it becomes metastatic,” Dr Quay wrote on X.
“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.”
What I want to know is how did Dr. Jill Biden miss stage five metastatic cancer or is this yet another coverup??? pic.twitter.com/fSqtDmcX4p
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) May 18, 2025
Dr Ezekiel Emanuel, an oncologist who worked with Mr Biden’s team on the Obama-era Affordable Care Act but did not see him as a medical professional, said Mr Biden would have had cancer for “years.”
“He’s had this for many years, maybe even a decade, growing there and spreading,” he told MSNBC.
“He did not develop it in the last 100 to 200 days.”
Oncologists that AFP spoke with, however, said that screening limitations could very well have left Mr Biden’s condition undetected until now, and that late identification of an advanced cancer would not be unheard of, even for a former president receiving top-of-the-line medical care.
According to the American Cancer Society, prostate is the second most common cancer in men after skin cancer.
One in eight men will be diagnosed in their lifetime and this year there will be a forecast 313,780 new cases diagnosed in the US.
WHO ELSE IS SAYING THERE IS A COVER-UP?
Don Jr questioned on Sunday whether the cancer should have been detected earlier – and then on Monday boosted unfounded claims Biden had covered up a previous diagnosis.
He posted a clip of Mr Biden – whose son Beau died of brain cancer – saying in an apparent gaffe in 2022 that “I, and so damn many other people I grew up with, have cancer.”
Vice President JD Vance meanwhile said that “we really do need to be honest” about Biden’s fitness.
“You can separate the desire for him to have the right health outcome with a recognition that – whether it was doctors or whether there were staffers around the former president – I don’t think he was able to do a good job for the American people,” Mr Vance said.
– with AFP
Originally published as Everything we know about former US President Joe Biden’s aggressive cancer diagnosis
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