Why was the prostate cancer “aggressive” of Jo Biden soon? Experts weigh

Diagnosis of cancer in the late stage of former US President Joe Biden has some medical professionals wondering how the disease was able to not discover it when his health was subject to severe scrutiny near the end of his presidency.

In a statement on Sunday, the Biden office said that the 82 -year -old was diagnosed with prostate cancer and that it is spreading to the bones. He was diagnosed with cancer 4, which is considered the most advanced.

Prostate cancer cells are usually classified on a scale of 1 to 10 below Gleston system.

This grades system involves looking at the cells under a microscope, measuring an abnormal range and the possibility of their spread. The higher the degree, the more aggressive cancer.

According to Biden’s office, he recorded 9, indicating that his cancer is among the most “aggressive”.

“It is sad, of course,” said Dr. Peter Black, director of the Vancouver Center for the Prostate.

“It is something that we can still control for a few years, but it will definitely affect the quality of his life and perhaps his longevity.”

Looking at all the discussion about Biden’s health during his presidency and the start of his second presidential campaign, before he got out of the race last summer, the diagnosis raised questions about the reason for not discovering this sooner and what this means for his long -term health ..

What is prostate cancer and what are the symptoms?

The prostate, which is the gland in the reproductive system of males that make liquid part of the semen, below the bladder. Cancer begins in the prostate cells and can grow into the nearby tissues. Cancer can also spread to other parts of the body, including bladder, nearby lymph nodes, bones and brain, according to the Canadian Cancer Society.

“There is a wide range of prostate cancer,” said Black, a urology specialist at Vancouver General Hospital. “From very early illness and relatively harmful, to something big dangerous and actually spread.”

Dr. James Dickenson, a professor of community health sciences at Calgary University, said the symptoms can vary from person to person.

But often, he said, there are no symptoms at all. Some unfamiliar symptoms include urination or blood in the urine.

“It may develop and spread widely before anyone noticed,” he said.

How many people in Canada are diagnosed with it?

The Canadian Cancer Association says that prostate cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian men, and within that group, the third cause of cancer.

In 2024, the organization estimated that 27,900 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, where 5,000 of them are expected to die from the disease.

It is the most common for the elderly men and most of them are black men, including African people and the Caribbean, according to the organization.

How is people examined for that?

There are two methods used to examine prostate cancer, Despite the search He finds that each one has negative aspects.

There is a prostate antigen test (PSA), a blood test that is seen at the levels of the prostate. As people age, PSA levels tend He increases.

The levels are higher than the usual may mean that there is a problem with the prostate, but the cancer is not always the perpetrator. Other causes can be the enlarged prostate gland or inflamed prostate due to infection.

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The Cancer Association says there is also a digital examination of the Retor (DRE), which includes a healthcare provider that proves a glove in the rectum and a feeling of anything unusual, like the blocks.

But lions, from the prostate center in Vancouver, said while health care providers use this method frequently in the past, they “drifted” from it because it is not very useful. As a result, the PSA test is used more commonly.

When is the examination recommended?

Black said that the prostate cancer examination was controversial, adding that it would recommend a PSA test for healthy men between the ages of 50 and 75.

“I am a supporter of purchase because I see the benefit and see what happens if we are not busy,” he said.

People over 70 or 75 are actively examined because experts say that the disease is usually slow.

The discussion about the benefits of PSA test means that not everyone is in favor.

More than a decade ago, the Canadian Labor Squad on Preventive Health Care against the PSA examination “The possible damage to examination exceeds the benefits.”

Maintains this position, saying the Main problems They are false positive results and excessive diagnosis, as indicated by the review. The result of the positive PSA test often leads to more tests such as biopsy that carries the risk of bleeding, infection and incontinence.

At this time, the work group says that “there are no examination tests that have been accurately determined by prostate cancer.” However, he adds, there are many tests that are developed to improve the accuracy of PSA.

Meanwhile, the United States Labor Squador recommends that men between the ages of 55 and 69 have to speak with the health care provider about whether they should be examined.

Why was Biden cancer not discovered sooner?

Experts say that there are not many obvious symptoms, it is easy for prostate cancer flying under the radar.

In February 2024, Biden was another annual material as his president. At that time, his doctors said that “This year does not specify any new concerns.”

Dr. Dana Rathkopf, a medical oncologist at the Memorial Kitting Cancer Center in New York, said, while she does not know the details of the case, she does not think that this diagnosis was missed during a previous exam.

And she said in cancer cells, chaotic. Interview with CBS News. “There are many people who have access to (highest) care levels, undergoing regular examination and persevered with advanced disease.”

Black said that if Biden is tested, it is possible that PSA levels are “normal”.

“Sometimes aggressive prostate cancers do not make a lot of PSA,” he said.

What includes treatment?

Dickenson at Calgary University said that prostate cancer, which is in the early stages and non -spread, will only be monitored. He said that it may not end with damage, and therefore its treatment will not be beneficial to the patient.

At the same time, for high risk cases, where PSA is high but cancer is limited to prostate, and surgery or black radiation is usually recommended.

In cases where the disease spread, he said radiation is often used alongside hormonal therapy.

Hormonal therapy reduces the amount of some hormones in the body Prostate cancer cells usually help grow. By doing this, prostate cancers can shrink or grow more slowly.

This is the type of treatment that is seen for Biden, and while Black said it usually responds at first, it is an issue of the time when it will continue to work.

Without knowing all the details of the Biden case, Black said that men with a similar diagnosis live about five years with current treatments.

The five -year survival rate for people who are in the first three stages of the disease is approximately 100 percent, According to Statistics Canada.

But if it is diagnosed in stage 4, which is when cancer spreads beyond the prostate, the survival rate over the next five years decreases to 41 percent.