Top doctors today weighed in on the confusion surrounding Joe Biden’s shocking cancer diagnosis, revealing he was possibly too old and frail to be tested. 

On Sunday, the former president’s office announced he had been diagnosed with late-stage cancer that had already spread to his bones – meaning it had likely been growing for years.

Many doctors were surprised as to how the cancer could have been missed and why he had not been tested during his presidency when he had access to the best doctors in the country – a simple blood test, for example, can detect around 90 percent of people with the disease.

The diagnosis led current president Donald Trump to question whether the lack of detection was a sign of a ‘cover-up,’ with some doctors stating ‘it is inconceivable’ Biden would not have had regular testing.

However, doctors told the Daily Mail that men over 70 are often not regularly screened for prostate cancer over fears of unnecessary side effects from treatments and a low life expectancy.

‘We often think that men who are going to live 15 to 30 years will benefit the most from prostate cancer screening,’ Dr. Shawn Dason, urologic oncologist at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, told the Daily Mail.

‘[So] it would be rare for someone to undergo this testing to screen for prostate cancer above the age of 80. This may have been why he was diagnosed at an advanced stage.’

Shockingly, doctors also suggested Biden, 82, probably hadn’t been screened for prostate cancer since before he took office at age 78 in 2021 – and that the cancer could have been growing since then. 

Former President Joe Biden (pictured here) was diagnosed with prostate cancer that has spread to his bones, his office announced Sunday

Joe Biden posted a photo with wife Jill on Monday following his diagnosis. ‘Cancer touches us all,’ the former president wrote on X. ‘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.’

Biden is pictured here getting a Covid booster in 2022. Doctors believe it’s possible Biden’s prostate cancer formed while he was in the White House

Under Joe Biden, the White House Physician was Kevin C. O’Connor. He also served in the role in Donald Trump’s first term. He was replaced by Sean Barbabella on March 7, 2025

Over 300,000 American men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year, and 35,000 die from the disease. It’s the most common cancer in men. 

It’s also considered one of the most treatable if caught early – with a nearly 100 percent survival rate if detected while localized in the prostate.

For this reason, the doctors who spoke to the Daily Mail said others must have genuinely missed the diagnosis, meaning there is no conspiracy like some experts  and politicians have claimed. 

The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) states men ages 55 to 69 undergo prostate cancer screening every two to three years. However, those with a family history or who are at a greater risk, such as Black men, may need more frequent screening. 

The agency recommends against testing for men over 70 due to a combination of factors, including the potential for overdiagnosis and overtreatment, the risk of false positives and the fact that prostate cancer often grows slowly – many men die with the cancer, not from it.

This means the risks of treating the cancer outweigh the benefits. 

Prostate cancer screening is done via a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, a blood test measuring the amount of proteins produced by the prostate gland. 

If a man has elevated PSA levels, they may undergo imaging and a prostate biopsy to confirm cancer.  

Dr. Todd M Morgan, urological surgeon and Chief of Urologic Oncology at University of Michigan Health, said Biden likely stopped being tested for prostate cancer by age 75, two years before he took office. 

‘For a healthy man in his 80s, continued screening is not routinely recommended,’ Dr Morgan told the Daily Mail.

‘If President Biden followed guideline-concordant care, he likely discontinued PSA testing several years ago.’

Prostate cancer (represented here) is detected via a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, a blood test measuring the amount of proteins produced by the prostate gland. However, screening is not recommended for men over 70

The 82-year-old’s cancer was given a Gleason score of nine and a Grade Group of five, indicating an ‘aggressive’ and rapidly spreading disease. 

The Gleason grading system is used by physicians to rank prostate cancer based on how abnormal the cancer cells look under a microscope. Generally, the higher the score (ranging from 1 to 10), the more aggressive the cancer.

Lower scores, those of six or below, suggest the cancer is spreading slowly. A score of seven indicates intermediate risk of an aggressive cancer. 

Meanwhile, Grade Groups range from one (meaning the cancer is most likely going to grow and spread slowly throughout the body) to five (meaning it will likely grow and spread quickly). 

Biden’s diagnosis comes just days after doctors found a ‘small nodule’ on his prostate, a walnut-sized gland in men that produces semen and regulates the flow of urine. 

The presence of the nodule, doctors suggest, could mean he wasn’t regularly given a PSA test.  

However, other experts said even if the former president was being screened, cancer could have evaded tests. 

Dr. Daniel Petrylak, medical oncologist and chief of genitourinary oncology at Yale Cancer Center, told the Daily Mail that ‘aggressive prostate cancer can occur at low PSA levels.

‘Higher grade tumors tend to make less PSA per cancer cell than low grade tumors, so it is possible that this tumor may have been missed by PSA.’

PSA levels are generally measured in nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL). In general, a level above 4 ng/mL is considered abnormal and may result in a recommendation for further examination.

However, because PSA levels increase with age, some doctors apply a higher cutoff (such as 5 ng/ml) for older men.

‘People can have cancer with five and six [PSA levels] and for some unlucky people it can metastasize in 10 months. It’s a tiny chance but this is a unique cancer,’ Dr. Stuart Fischer, an internal medicine physician in New York, told the Daily Mail.

‘For other people, it goes very slowly.’

Biden is pictured here with wife and former first lady Dr. Jill Biden. Biden said Monday morning, ‘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’

While in office, Biden’s doctors revealed he had sleep apnea, an irregular heartbeat and high cholesterol, among other conditions, which may have taken precedence. 

‘Doctors also have to balance cancer screening with managing other health concerns – like cognitive changes or heart problems – especially in older patients,’ said Dr. Tanya Dorff, medical oncologist and section chief of the Genitourinary Disease Program at City of Hope in California.

‘This doesn’t mean prostate cancer is overlooked, but care is personalized based on what’s most relevant to the patient’s overall health.’

While it’s unclear exactly what stage Biden’s disease is at, doctors are divided about how long it may have taken to spread to his bones. 

Cancer that has spread to the bones is typically either stage three or four.  

Dr. Dorff told the Daily Mail: ‘From my experience, aggressive prostate cancers can sometimes develop quickly, even when patients are monitored closely,’ adding that timelines can vary.

Dr. Dason, however, said ‘this process takes years.’

‘We often don’t know precisely, but it’s not a rapid process,’ he added. 

The above graph shows the rates of new cases and deaths from prostate cancer. Over 300,000 American men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year, and 35,000 die from the disease

While the survival rate for prostate cancer is nearly 100 percent in early stages, cancers that have spread may kill two-thirds of patients, according to National Cancer Institute data

The disease may have also spread undetected due to a lack of symptoms. While it can lead to blood in the urine or semen and trouble urinating, these signs can often be mistaken for more benign conditions or old age. 

Dr. Morgan said that ‘Without regular PSA testing, even an aggressive prostate cancer can progress without causing symptoms. Tumors often cause no urinary symptoms while confined to the prostate,’ adding that either bone pain or unexplained weight loss might be the first sign.

‘Alternatively, by the time the cancer causes symptoms in the prostate, it may have already spread.’

He said it’s ‘not surprising’ in cases like these to find it once it’s already spread.

Despite the grim diagnosis, experts told the Daily Mail older men with metastatic prostate cancer often ‘respond well’ to treatments, which include medications to suppress the hormone testosterone, ultrasound and immunotherapy.

Dr. Petrylak said: ‘The survival is variable, and can range from three to seven years. A small fraction of patients live 10 years.’

Additionally, Dr. Edmund Folefac, medical oncologist at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, told the Daily Mail: ‘With modern treatments, he has a very good chance of surviving many years.’