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A top oncologist who had previously worked for former President Joe Biden claimed that he must've had prostate cancer long before his public announcement and reported diagnosis date.
Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, who had previously served as a member of the former president's transition team and helped craft the Affordable Care Act under former President Barack Obama's administration, claimed Biden likely "had this for many years," rather than the sudden diagnosis over the weekend, during an appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe Monday (May 19).
“He’s had this for many years, maybe even a decade, growing there and spreading,” Emanuel said. “He did not develop it in the last 100 to 200 days.
“He had it while he was president. He probably had it at the start of his presidency in 2021. Yes, I don’t think there’s any disagreement about that.”
"Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support," Biden wrote along with a photo of himself and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, and their cat.
CNN initially reported Biden's diagnosis on Sunday.
“Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms. On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone,” the statement said. “While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.”
Biden recently underwent "routine physical exam" led to the discovery of "a small nodule," a spokesperson confirmed to ABC News on Tuesday (May 13).
“In a routine physical exam a small nodule was found in the prostate which necessitated further evaluation,” the spokesperson said.
The former president previously had a lesion reported to be cancerous removed from his chest in February 2023, as well as multiple non-melanoma skin cancers removed with Mohs surgery prior to his inauguration in 2021.
"As expected, the biopsy confirmed that the small lesion was basal cell carcinoma," said White House physician Dr. Kevin O'Connor while describing the surgical procedure at the time via ABC News. "All cancerous tissue was successfully removed. … No further treatment is required."
"Basal cell carcinoma lesions do not tend to 'spread' or metastasize, as some more serious skin cancers such as melanoma or squamous cell carcinoma are known to do," O'Connor continued. "They do, however, have the potential to increase in size, resulting in a more significant issue as well as increased challenges for surgical removal."
O'Connor added that the "site of the biopsy has healed nicely and the President will continue dermatologic surveillance as part of his ongoing comprehensive healthcare" at the time.