Until now, information about the diagnosis of former President Joe Biden’s prostate cancer indicates that his case is uncommon but unheard of, according to doctors treating the disease.
The 82 -year -old Biden was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer on Friday, discovering his prostate unit, his personal service said. According to his office, the cancer has spread to the bone, but it seems he will respond to treatment.
Most cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed at an early stage, often using conventional blood tests or rectal tests.
However, in approximately 8% of cases, cancer has already metastasized or spread to other organs before diagnosis. At the time, the patient was probably suffering from prostate cancer for several years to a decade, several oncologists said.
In the case of biden, “We really hope he had prostate cancer for many years,” said Dr. William Dahut, Chief Scientific Officer of the American Cancer Society.
However, there are exceptions.
“Most cases of prostate cancer are slowly growing, but some people may develop high-risk cancer, which occurs relatively quickly and can spread quickly,” said Dr. Alonas Weizer, Urologist and Chief Medical Officer of Sinai Hill Medical Center. “Is it very common? No. But it can occur and it all depends on the biology of that individual cancer.”
Although selection can help early detect, medical professionals do not always agree to what should be checked for prostate cancer.
Many doctors accidentally men in the late 70s and 80s, as those individuals are likely to die of another health status before dying of prostate cancer. However, since people continue to live longer, some doctors believe that it is good for older men whose health is good.
The American Cancer Society recommends that men with 50-60 -ies are checked every two years. According to ACS, men, whose blood tests show increased prostate specific antigen, protein produced by the prostate gland should carry out annual inspections. And men with a higher risk of prostate cancer, such as African -American or those with family history, should start checking 40 -ies.
However, the current US preventive services working groups – independent experts, whose recommendations are often determined by the inspections are prohibited, say that men between the ages of 55 and 69 should only discuss a blood test with a doctor. The working group is considering new guidelines for prostate cancer testing, as many doctors call for more detailed and highlights.
Weizer stated that doctors were more likely to examine prostate cancer in the late 1980s and early 1990s, which had been diagnosed and treated, which may not affect human life. US Prevention Services Working Group 2012 to 2018 Blood tests are recommended that have helped prostate cancer, which has reduced screening.
“Prostate cancer is an unusual type of cancer in the sense that we now know that there is a lot of prostate cancer that will never cause a person’s problem,” weizer said. “So you don’t even want to find those cancers. You want to find those who will behave more aggressively.”
In recent years, he said the pendulum turned back to more checks, as doctors have better understood which cases to treat and to observe over time.
However, Dahut said patients and doctors still have some concern that the benefits of the selection do not outweigh the risk of overdose or fatigue. Since 2012 The selection indicators have declined steadily – which, according to Dahut, has contributed to the 5% annual increase in men, diagnosed with more advanced prostate cancer.
It is unclear whether biden has been checked for prostate cancer in recent years. His annual physical exam 2024. February He stated that there was a selection, although his age would not be expected. Based on its 2019 In the physical exam, he had an increased prostate, but by that time he was not diagnosed with prostate cancer.
New York -based urologist David Shusterman said the advanced diagnosis of biden would be considered unusual for someone who was regularly checked.
“Rarely happens with bone [metastasis] … Someone who is checking with his urologist every time a year, “he said. – I’ve been doing this for 25 years and I’ve never had such a patient.
Diagnosis is more common in patients who do not regularly see a doctor, he added. This was the case with Rick Gum, which was never checked until 2018. He was not diagnosed with prostate cancer. Gum, the owner of a 73 -year -old truck company located in Big Rock, Illinois, initially sought to look after hernia, only to know that it had an aggressive cancer that spread to its bones.
“I learned a difficult path,” he said. “I had to go to the doctor.”
Rubber said his cancer was too far to get a standard treatment, so he participated in various clinical studies in northwestern medicine, which includes chemotherapy, radiation and medicine containing radioactive isotopes.
“I had seven good years because they diagnosed me,” he said. “They were a quality year. I ride motorcycles. We’re traveling. I love my job. I could do everything.”
According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 37% of patients with prostate cancer metastatic at least five years after diagnosis.
Peter Nelson, vice president of the Fred Hutch Cancer Center Precision Oncology, said patients such as biden have more than 90% of the likelihood of responding to treatment that reduces testosterone, a hormone that can feed on cancer. These so -called hormone therapy is often injections or pills.
“It is most likely that starting therapy, he will receive several medicines and can expect to respond to that therapy for several years until the cancer becomes resistant,” said Nelson. In some patients, chemotherapy or radiation receives at the same time or after hormone therapy, he added.
According to the source familiar with family thinking, Biden and his family are considering “many treatment options”, including hormone therapy.
This article was originally published in nbcnews.com