Symptoms, forecast and what the Gleason score means

Former President Joe Biden is treated for prostate cancer, one of the most common types of cancer in men.

Biden's cancer is an aggressive form of the disease and has spread to his bones published by his office.

The 82 -year -old bidding was diagnosed after he had gone to the doctor because of urine symptoms.

“Cancer touches all of us,” he wrote on Monday on social media. “Like so many of them, Jill and I learn that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for living us with love and support.”

A representative did not answer a request for a comment where the former president whose home is in Delaware was dealt with. The New York Times reported that it was recently taken care of in a hospital in Philadelphia.

Biden has a long story with the health system of the University of Pennsylvania in general and in particular with the Abramson Cancer Center, where he launched his “Monshot” initiative in the “Moonshot” in 2016. Penn said it had no information about sharing.

Here is what you should know about prostate cancer:

What is the prostate?

The prostate is a walnut size under the bladder, which produces seeds as part of the male reproductive system.

The prostate grows with increasing body and too much growth can cause urine problems.

Prostate cancer occurs when the cells become out of control and form a tumor.

What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?

The symptoms of prostate cancer include:

These symptoms are often associated with other urinary disorders, so it is best to see a doctor with concerns, said Jonathan Pan, a medical oncologist at Cooper University Health Care, who is not involved in the treatment of bidges. Earlier prostate cancer cannot have noticeable symptoms.

How often is prostate cancer?

After skin cancer, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men. According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is diagnosed in about 1 out of 8 men.

Former US Senator Bob Casey, a democrat in Pennsylvania, was diagnosed in 2023 prostate cancer. The former governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Wolf, and the former mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter, also spoke about their treatment of prostate cancer.

What is a Gleason game?

The Gleason score is a rating system for prostate cancer that rates tumors on a scale of six to 10. It is one of several diagnostic tools that doctors use to understand a patient's cancer and develop a treatment plan.

Cancer at the lower end of the scale grow slowly and it is less likely to spread.

A high Gleason score shows a cancer that grows faster and may already have already spreading or metastasized.

Biden's cancer was rated nine on the Gleason scale and has spread to his bones, according to his office.

What is bidens forecast?

Prostate cancer can be fatal, but most people who are diagnosed with the disease do not die. Early detection and more advanced treatment options have contributed to improving survival rates.

Cancer species that have spread to other parts of the body like bidens can also be treated very treated, said Pan.

“Compared to other types of cancer that we treat, it is generally a treatable cancer,” he said.

Biden has only published a few details about his treatment, but said that his cancer seems to be “hormone -sensitive, which enables effective management”.

Hormone therapies are often used to treat prostate cancer and typically administered in a cancer center as injection, said Pan. Recent hormone therapies can be taken orally.

Who should be examined for prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer screening was a controversial topic in medicine in which leading cancer organizations offer different guidelines.

The Task Force of the US prevention services recommends that men between 55 and 69 years of being consider a blood test, in which an increased values ​​of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) are checked.

Screening tests can lead to a “false positive result” that triggers unnecessary emotional stress and prostate biopsies.

At the same time, screening tests can miss aggressive types of prostate cancer and achieve a “wrong negative result”, which gives the patient a wrong feeling of security.

Prostate cancer often grows slowly, which is why doctors often recommend continuous monitoring without treatment, especially in older patients.

In many cases, the goal is to minimize treatment that no longer helps a patient, since some options for treating prostate cancer can lead to other problems, such as: B. urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction.

“About half of the men with localized prostate cancer, which are diagnosed, is actually diagnosed with cancer that has a very, very small chance of claiming her life,” said Alexander Kutikov, head of the urology and urological oncology department at the Fox Chase Cancer Center, the examiner in 2023, as Casey.

The Task Force does not recommend routine screening for people aged 70 and over. The medical details that Biden published for the public last summer did not contain any information about prostate tests.

Men who have a family history of prostate cancer or prostate problems are often encouraged to consider screening.

The author Julia Terruso contributed to this article.