By JONATHAN J. COOPER
Former President Joe Biden’s “last known” prostate cancer screening was in 2014, and he had never been diagnosed with the disease before last week, his office said Tuesday.
Biden’s aides released the new details about his diagnosis amid intense scrutiny of Biden’s health during his presidency and skepticism that the disease could have progressed to an advanced stage without being detected.
Although Biden’s cancer can possibly be controlled with treatment, it has spread to his bones and is no longer curable.
The brief statement from Biden’s office did not disclose the results of his 2014 PSA blood test. PSA stands for prostate-specific antigen.
“President Biden’s last known PSA was in 2014. Prior to Friday, President Biden had never been diagnosed with prostate cancer,” the statement said in its entirety.
Biden’s cancer was announced on Sunday, prompting a wave of sympathy but also suggestions from some of his critics, including his successor Donald Trump, that the former president and his aides covered up the disease while he was in the White House given the severity of the cancer when it was announced. Tuesday’s statement appeared aimed at tamping down that speculation.
Asked about Biden during an appearance at the White House, Trump said, “it takes a long time to get to that situation” and that he was “surprised that the public wasn’t notified a long time ago.”
“It’s a very sad situation and I feel very badly about it,” Trump said.
A memo from the White House physician released following Trump’s annual physical exam in April listed a normal PSA. Biden’s White House doctor did not include PSA results in the health summaries he released.
Screening with PSA blood tests can lead to unnecessary treatment with side effects that affect quality of life, and guidelines recommend against prostate cancer screening for men 70 and older. Biden is 82.
When caught early, prostate cancer is highly survivable, but it is also the second-leading cause of cancer death in men. About one in eight men will be diagnosed over their lifetime with prostate cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.
