Former US President Joe Biden is receiving radiation therapy as part of his treatment for prostate cancer, his spokesman has said.
The spokesman also stated that Biden, 82, was undergoing hormone treatment, without providing further details.
The radiation treatment is expected to span five weeks and marks a new point in his care, as reported by NBC News.
In May, Biden's office announced that he was diagnosed with a more aggressive form of the disease, which had spread to his bones. The diagnosis followed Biden reporting urinary symptoms, which led doctors to find a small nodule on his prostate.
The Biden office indicated at the time that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5), indicating metastasis to the bone.
While the high-grade illness is more aggressive, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, allowing for effective management.
Biden left office in January as the oldest serving US President in history, a term marked by ongoing concerns regarding his health, ultimately leading him to bow out of the 2024 re-election race late in the campaign.
His former vice president, Kamala Harris, has taken up the mantle as the Democratic candidate for President, losing to current President Donald Trump.
For many years, Biden has been an advocate for cancer research, relaunching the 'cancer moonshot' initiative in 2022 to mobilize efforts to prevent over four million cancer deaths by 2047.
He lost his eldest son, Beau, to brain cancer in 2015, adding a personal dimension to his advocacy.
In recent months, Biden has largely retreated from public life. In a May interview with the BBC—the first since leaving the White House—he remarked that deciding to step down from the 2024 race was a 'difficult' choice.
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer affecting men in the U.S., behind skin cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that 13 out of every 100 men will develop prostate cancer during their lives, with age being the most prevalent risk factor.
