Biden thanks supporters for 'love' after cancer diagnosis

Biden thanks supporters for 'love' after cancer diagnosis

Joe Biden, seen here as US president in 2024, says he is grateful for the 'love and support' shown to him by Americans after he announced he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer

Former US president Joe Biden expressed gratitude Monday for an outpouring of "love and support" following his cancer diagnosis, even as some in President Donald Trump's orbit leveled fresh accusations of a health cover up.

The 82-year-old ex-president's shock announcement on Sunday that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer sparked an outpouring of good wishes, including from Trump himself, Biden's vice president Kamala Harris and ordinary Americans.

"Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places," Biden said on social media, including a photo of him and former first lady Jill Biden.

"Thank you for lifting us up with love and support."

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.

Trump, who has long derided Biden over his cognitive abilities and his record in office, said Sunday he was "saddened" by the news and wished him a "fast and successful recovery."

But Trump's son Don Jr. meanwhile questioned whether the cancer should have been detected earlier -- and also boosted unfounded claims Biden had covered up a previous diagnosis.

He posted a clip of Biden -- whose son Beau died of cancer -- saying in an apparent gaffe in 2022 that "I, and so damn many other people I grew up with, have cancer."

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt swerved around questions Monday about whether presidential doctors may have missed Biden's early cancer stages.

Trump was not concerned about his standard of care, she said, adding that the current White House physician is "phenomenal."

The cancer diagnosis comes amid swirling new questions in recent weeks over Biden's health while in office, with a new book by two journalists alleging his staff worked to conceal his decline.

Biden's team has consistently denied there was any effort to hide fears about his health.

- 'Personal' -

Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men, with the American Cancer Society (ACS) reporting that one in eight men in the United States are diagnosed with it over their lifetime.

While it is highly treatable if discovered early, it is the second leading cause of cancer death in men.

Hormone therapy is a common treatment that can shrink tumors and slow cancer growth, but it is not a cure.

Britain's King Charles, 76, who himself is being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer, wrote to Biden over the weekend to express his well wishes, Buckingham Palace said.

Biden's cancer was found to have "a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5)," on a 1-10 scale, his office's statement said. Prostate cancer that looks "very abnormal" is assigned the highest rating, Grade 5, according to the ACS.

The mental and physical health of Biden, the oldest person ever to hold the US presidency, was a dominant issue in the 2024 election.

Trump and his conservative backers repeatedly attacked the incumbent over his cognitive abilities, and after a disastrous debate performance against Trump, Biden ended his campaign for a second term.

Biden's life has been marked by personal tragedy. In 1972, his first wife and baby daughter were killed in a car crash.  

His son Beau died aged 46 of an aggressive form of brain cancer in 2015.

In the wake of Beau's death, then-president Barack Obama launched a "cancer moonshot" bid to corral the disease in the United States, tasking Biden, then his vice president, with leading the effort.

"It's personal for me," Biden said at the time.

mlm-des/dw

Originally published as Biden thanks supporters for 'love' after cancer diagnosis