Joe Biden receiving radiation therapy for prostate cancer, spokesman says

Former US President Joe Biden received radiation therapy as part of his prostate cancer treatment, his spokesman said.

The spokesman also said that 82-year-old Biden was receiving hormone therapy, without providing further details.

The radiation treatment is expected to last five weeks and marks a new milestone in his care, a source told NBC News.

In May, Biden’s office announced that he had a more aggressive form of the diseaseIt had spread to his bones. The discovery was made after the Democratic politician reported urinary symptoms that led doctors to find a small nodule in his prostate.

Biden’s office said at the time that “he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) and metastasis to bone.”

“Although this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone sensitive, allowing for effective management.”

A Gleason score of nine meant his disease was classified as “high-grade” and the cancer cells could spread rapidly, according to Cancer Research UK.

Biden left office in January as the oldest serving US president in history, and questions about his health continued into his first term, putting an end to his re-election bid towards the end of his campaign.

Former vice president Kamala Harris ran as the Democratic presidential candidate and lost to current US President Donald Trump.