President Joe Biden had never been diagnosed with prostate cancer until last week, and his most recent screening for the disease occurred more than a decade ago, a spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.
“President Biden’s last known PSA test was in 2014. Prior to Friday, President Biden had never been diagnosed with prostate cancer,” the spokesperson stated.
The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, commonly used for prostate cancer screening, measures the level of a protein produced by the prostate. Elevated PSA levels can indicate potential cancer but often result in false positives. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force advises against PSA screening for men aged 70 and older, as they are more likely to die from other conditions than from prostate cancer.
At 82 years old, Biden’s last PSA screening was conducted 11 years ago.
In contrast, some older patients, including former President Donald Trump, 78, have received more recent PSA screenings; Trump underwent testing earlier this year, according to White House medical records.
Since Biden’s diagnosis was made public last Sunday, questions have arisen about whether the cancer had been progressing undetected during his presidency.
Medical experts note that while a late-stage prostate cancer diagnosis is uncommon, it is not unprecedented. Biden’s cancer is described as aggressive and advanced—treatable but not curable.
Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, an oncologist and member of Biden’s Covid advisory board, suggested on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that the cancer had likely been “growing there and spreading” for years. Similarly, Dr. William Dahut, chief scientific officer for the American Cancer Society, told NBC News that Biden “definitely would have had prostate cancer for many, many years.”
However, some doctors acknowledge rare cases where high-risk prostate cancer can develop and spread rapidly.
This diagnosis adds to ongoing discussions about cancer screening protocols for elderly patients and the challenges of detecting aggressive forms of the disease early.
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