Former President Joe Biden has begun radiation therapy as part of his treatment for prostate cancer, a spokesperson for the former president told CNN.
“As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President Biden is currently undergoing radiation and hormone therapy,” the spokesperson said.
The news was first reported by NBC News. A spokesman for the former president, who turns 83 next month, did not give a timetable for treatment.
Biden’s personal office revealed in May that he had been diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer that had spread to his bones.
“We hope we can beat this,” Biden told CNN in his first comments on the diagnosis, two weeks after receiving it. “It’s not in any organs, it’s in – my bones are strong, it hasn’t penetrated. So I feel good.”
He added that he started taking pills to treat the cancer.
Last month, Biden underwent Mohs surgery, an operation used to remove cancerous lesions from the skin. During this procedure, thin layers of skin are removed and examined under a microscope until the doctor finds no signs of skin cancer cells. It is usually used to treat cancerous lesions that have come back after previous treatment, are growing quickly, or are in large areas such as the face, hands, or genitals.
In 2023, while president, Biden had a lesion removed from his chest, which later tested positive for basal cell carcinoma. At the time, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, who served as Biden’s White House physician, said “all cancerous tissue was successfully removed” and that Biden would continue “dermatologic monitoring.”
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer. Its growth is slow and generally curable.
