This 82-year-old former US President Joe Biden is undergoing medical evaluation after doctors discovered a small nodule in his prostate during a routine physical exam, ABC News and The New York Times reported late Monday and early Tuesday.
NYT reported that Biden underwent the physical exam last week and spent Friday at a hospital in Philadelphia.
“In a routine physical exam a small nodule was found in the prostate which necessitated further evaluation,” a spokesperson told ABC News on Tuesday.
Medical history in spotlight
This development comes after Biden’s previous health concerns during his time in office. In February 2023, while still president, a lesion was removed from his chest. White House physician Dr Kevin O’Connor later confirmed it was basal cell carcinoma. “All cancerous tissue was successfully removed. … No further treatment is required,” O’Connor said at the time.
He explained that basal cell carcinoma usually does not spread like other skin cancers but can grow larger if untreated. “They do, however, have the potential to increase in size, resulting in a more significant issue as well as increased challenges for surgical removal.”
Biden had also undergone Mohs surgery before taking office to remove several non-melanoma skin cancers. O’Connor assured the public last year that the biopsy site had “healed nicely” and that Biden would continue regular dermatologic monitoring.
Questions over health and fitness
Even though O’Connor declared Biden “fit for duty” in February 2024, questions about his age, health, and mental sharpness lingered. These concerns were seen as contributing factors in his decision to withdraw from the 2024 re-election race .
In a recent joint interview with former first lady Jill Biden on The View, Biden pushed back strongly against claims that his mental acuity had declined. “They are wrong,” he said. “There’s nothing to sustain that.”
The interview came just a day before his hospital visit in Philadelphia, according to the NYT.
Since leaving office in January, Biden has maintained a low public profile but made a few media appearances, including two interviews following US President Trump’s first 100 days in office.
NYT reported that Biden underwent the physical exam last week and spent Friday at a hospital in Philadelphia.
“In a routine physical exam a small nodule was found in the prostate which necessitated further evaluation,” a spokesperson told ABC News on Tuesday.
Medical history in spotlight
This development comes after Biden’s previous health concerns during his time in office. In February 2023, while still president, a lesion was removed from his chest. White House physician Dr Kevin O’Connor later confirmed it was basal cell carcinoma. “All cancerous tissue was successfully removed. … No further treatment is required,” O’Connor said at the time.
He explained that basal cell carcinoma usually does not spread like other skin cancers but can grow larger if untreated. “They do, however, have the potential to increase in size, resulting in a more significant issue as well as increased challenges for surgical removal.”
Biden had also undergone Mohs surgery before taking office to remove several non-melanoma skin cancers. O’Connor assured the public last year that the biopsy site had “healed nicely” and that Biden would continue regular dermatologic monitoring.
Questions over health and fitness
Even though O’Connor declared Biden “fit for duty” in February 2024, questions about his age, health, and mental sharpness lingered. These concerns were seen as contributing factors in his decision to withdraw from the 2024 re-election race .
In a recent joint interview with former first lady Jill Biden on The View, Biden pushed back strongly against claims that his mental acuity had declined. “They are wrong,” he said. “There’s nothing to sustain that.”
The interview came just a day before his hospital visit in Philadelphia, according to the NYT.
Since leaving office in January, Biden has maintained a low public profile but made a few media appearances, including two interviews following US President Trump’s first 100 days in office.
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