Former US President Joe Biden was diagnosed with prostate cancer, identified as having a Gleason score of 9, which is the most aggressive, according to a press release from his personal office on May 18. According to the statement, the cancer advanced to the bones, but appears to be hormones-sensitive, meaning it could be adequately managed.
Biden, now 82, is currently seeking advice from his physician to try to defeat this tumor, which is one of the most common cancers found in men. Indeed, it is the second most frequent cancer diagnosis made in men, and the fourth leading cause of death worldwide. To break that down, one in eight men will get prostate cancer globally. To place that statistic into perspective, it is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths for men in the United States.
But here's the good news: many prostate cancers grow slowly and are confined to the prostate gland, where they may not cause serious harm. Caught early enough, some cases of prostate cancer can be cured. And there are even some things you can do that might lower your risk of prostate cancer.
So, what exactly is prostate cancer and its warning signs, and how is it treated? Click through and find out more about one of the most common cancers in men worldwide.