Biden had access to top doctors and regular check-ups: why was his cancer detected so late

The news that the 46th US president is battling stage XNUMX prostate cancer that has spread to his bones has sparked controversy. Why a man with unlimited access to health care was diagnosed at such a late stage of the disease is explored MSN.

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“It’s kind of alarming that a guy with access to excellent medical care is suddenly diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer,” said Dr. Todd Morgan, co-chair of the Weiser Prostate Cancer Center at Michigan Medicine. “But that’s how prostate cancer often presents. We don’t typically screen for PSA after age 75 or early 80.”

But Biden was no ordinary patient. As the oldest president in U.S. history to run for reelection, he was under intense scrutiny from voters. His eldest son died of brain cancer at age 46. That prompted Biden, then vice president, to launch the Cancer Moonshot Initiative to combat the disease.

On the subject: Joe Biden Diagnosed With Aggressive Cancer

A poor performance in a presidential debate last year forced him to drop out of the 2024 race. The focus on Biden's mental state as president has heightened concerns that aides may have covered up his deteriorating health.

Donald Trump is the second-oldest president in history, 78, and he is screened. Last month, the White House chief released the results of a prostate cancer test that showed he is free of cancer. Barack Obama released his PSA numbers during his presidency, as did George W. Bush.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on May 19, Trump said he was "very upset" by Biden's diagnosis and wondered why the disease was not detected sooner.
"Somebody needs to talk to his doctor," Trump said. "I'm truly sorry, and I think people should try to find out what happened."

The Republican-controlled House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is currently investigating whether senior White House officials hid negative information about Biden’s health. It has requested an interview with Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Biden’s presidential physician, and depositions from former aides to the 46th president. But those requests will need to be renewed.

Chris Meagher, Biden's press secretary, did not respond to questions about why he was not screened for prostate cancer during his presidency.

Biden's cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive, meaning it may respond to hormone-lowering drugs. Oncologists say that even metastatic cancer patients can live for years thanks to new treatments. But Biden will likely have to fight the disease for the rest of his life.

About 10% of prostate cancer patients have metastases at diagnosis, experts say. Symptoms such as difficulty urinating or blood in the urine often appear only at a late stage. Biden has one of the most aggressive types of prostate cancer, suggesting it is spreading relatively quickly, experts say.

"If he had had annual PSA screening after age 70, I think this disease could have been detected earlier," said Dr. Philip Koo, chief medical officer of the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

Doctors have debated for decades how often and at what age prostate cancer screening should be performed. The test can catch cancer at an early, more treatable stage, but it can produce false positives and detect slow-growing tumors that would never become dangerous, especially in older men.

“In most cases, our recommendations do improve quality of life and reduce harm associated with overdiagnosis and overscreening,” said Dr. Behfar Ehdai, a urological surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, whose website says PSA testing after age 75 is “rarely helpful.”

Many men stop getting screened after age 75 because doctors believe that people with low or normal PSA levels at that age have a low risk of developing life-threatening prostate cancer, said Dr. Jonathan Shoag, a urological oncologist at University Hospitals and Case Comprehensive Cancer Center.

But the number of late-stage, dangerous cancer diagnoses in the United States has increased in recent years after health organizations began recommending screening, Shoag and other experts say.

There is no mandatory list of medical tests that all presidents must undergo, nor is there a standard form for releasing the results. In February 2024, O'Connor declared Biden "fit to serve" after a comprehensive examination by a team of doctors.

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“It’s surprising that he didn’t pass this test, given the tendency of presidential doctors to test more, not less,” Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, a physician and vice chancellor for international initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania, said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on May 19.

Trump doesn't always talk about his health. But he was willing to share the results of a prostate cancer screening during the campaign.

“My PSA numbers are always good,” Trump bragged in a September 2016 interview with Dr. Mehmet Oz, now head of his administration’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Trump was then 70 and a presidential candidate.

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