Joe Biden Shares a Major Health Update — This Is the News Americans Were Waiting For

There is plenty Republicans and Democrats can disagree about when it comes to Joe Biden. His health shouldn't be one of them.

The former president has been fighting an aggressive form of Stage 4 prostate cancer that spread to his bones, and some of the recent updates from his family have been difficult to hear.

On Tuesday, Americans finally got some good news. Biden announced that the radiation treatment he underwent last fall “worked as intended,” while revealing that he remains active and is continuing to work on his memoir.

That's a welcome update regardless of anyone's politics. Biden, now 83, has been dealing with a serious illness since his office announced his diagnosis in May 2025. Doctors discovered the cancer after Biden experienced increasing urinary symptoms and a prostate nodule was found.

The diagnosis was concerning from the outset. Biden's cancer had a Gleason score of 9, Grade Group 5, and had already metastasized to his bones. His office said, however, that the cancer was hormone-sensitive, giving doctors treatment options for managing the disease.

Biden subsequently underwent hormone treatment and radiation therapy, completing his course of radiation last fall.

There have been some troubling updates since then. Just last month, Hunter Biden publicly described what his father had been going through behind the scenes.

“The cancer has spread, metastasized into his bones and further,” Hunter said in an interview with the BBC, describing the illness as “very painful” and “very debilitating in many respects.”

“It’s really sad to watch,” he added.

Jill Biden had previously acknowledged that the disease and its treatment were taking a toll on her husband.

“He keeps his schedule, but he’s slowed down,” the former first lady said in June, adding that his age, Stage 4 cancer and medications had made daily life more difficult.

That made Biden's own update Tuesday all the more encouraging.

“The radiation treatment from last fall worked as intended, and I continue to do the things I care about, like finishing my memoir,” Biden said.

He also offered heartfelt thanks to the people who have been treating him.

Biden credited his doctors, nurses and other medical professionals for their “skill, dedication, and compassion,” saying their care “mean[s] so much.”

The former president did not say that he is cancer-free, and metastatic prostate cancer remains a serious disease. But after months of sobering news about his condition, hearing directly from Biden that his radiation treatment produced the intended result is a significant and positive development.

There was a similar moment of political unity when Biden's diagnosis was first announced. President Donald Trump, who spent years as Biden's chief political rival, put politics aside and publicly wished him well.

“Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis,” Trump wrote at the time. “We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.”

That is probably where most Americans can meet on this one. Biden spent decades as one of the country's most prominent political figures, and Americans have had no shortage of fierce arguments about his presidency, his policies and even the handling of his health while he was in office. None of those disagreements require anyone to root against an 83-year-old man fighting cancer.

Biden, for his part, used Tuesday's announcement to turn attention away from himself and toward other men who could face the same disease.

“Talk to your doctors. Ask the hard questions. Do it for yourself, and do it for the people who love you,” he urged.

He encouraged men around age 50 to begin discussing prostate cancer screening with their physicians, with those at elevated risk starting those conversations sooner.

The American Cancer Society similarly recommends that men at average risk discuss screening at 50, while Black men and some men with a family history should begin at 45. Men at particularly high risk are advised to begin the conversation at 40. Biden knows firsthand why that conversation matters.

“By the time we found it, it had already spread to my bones,” he said.

And that may ultimately be the most useful part of Biden going public about his experience. Prostate cancer is intensely personal, but an 83-year-old former president discussing his diagnosis, treatment and screening puts an enormous spotlight on a disease millions of American families have confronted.

Biden ended his message on a hopeful note, thanking those who have prayed for him and his family and saying he hopes talking openly about his illness might help somebody else.

“It’s my hope and prayer that by sharing our experience and being part of this important conversation, we can help save lives,” Biden wrote.

“And no matter what, keep the faith. God bless you.”

There doesn't need to be a Republican version and a Democratic version of the story.

Joe Biden's treatment worked as intended. That's good news — regardless of your politics.

Editor’s Note: Republicans are fighting for election integrity by requiring proper identification to vote. It's common sense, yet Democrats are spreading lies about the impact of such a measure. 

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