Biden Says Cancer Radiation 'Worked as Intended'

The Screening Advice

Biden wrote that men at average risk should start discussing screening with a doctor around age 50, and that black men should start that conversation at 45 or earlier. He said men whose father or brother had prostate cancer should also begin at 45, or earlier if multiple close relatives were affected.

"When prostate cancer is caught early, the five-year survival is close to 100%," he wrote.

The Numbers

Biden wrote that more than 330,000 American men will be diagnosed this year — the same figure the American Cancer Society estimates for 2026, along with more than 36,000 deaths from the disease.

He also pointed to racial gaps in outcomes, writing that black men are "nearly 70% more likely to get this disease and 2 to 4 times more likely to die from it." He called that "an outrage in the richest country in the world."

The Political Backdrop

Biden was the oldest man to serve as president, and questions about his physical and cognitive fitness dominated the end of his term, intensifying after his June 2024 debate against Donald Trump. He abandoned his reelection bid in July 2024 and endorsed Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump in November. Biden and his advisers have faced criticism over what critics say was concealment of the extent of his health problems. The cancer diagnosis came after he left office.