Former President Joe Biden undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer, spokesperson says

Former President Joe Biden is undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment as part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, a spokesperson told CBS News. 

Biden was diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer in May 2025. According to a statement from his office at the time, the former president was diagnosed with “prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone” after a small nodule was found in the prostate.

Gleason scores are a grading system, and the lower the grade, the more cancer cells look like normal cells. A score of 9 is the second-highest, CBS News previously reported, and places Biden in the most aggressive risk category. 

Prostate cancer is the second-most common cancer that affects men, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Age is the most common risk factor. The condition has many forms of treatment, including radiation, chemotherapy, surgery and hormone treatment. 

The former president was also treated for skin cancer two years ago. At the time, he was in office. The White House physician said Biden had a small skin lesion with cancerous tissue removed from his chest during his annual physical. Further testing confirmed it was basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer.

Biden underwent a skin cancer surgery in September 2025. That procedure was a Mohs surgery, which involves cutting away thin layers of skin until only cancer-free tissue remains in the affected area. 

NBC News was the first to report.