Joe Biden’s cancer has spread further and is causing severe pain, son Hunter says

Former President Joe Biden’s prostate cancer has spread further and is causing significant pain, according to his son Hunter Biden, who offered a sobering update on the 83-year-old former president’s health during an interview with the BBC.

“The cancer has spread, metastasized into his bones and further,” Hunter Biden told BBC’s “Newsnight.” “It’s very painful and it’s very debilitating in many respects.”

The comments provide one of the clearest public descriptions yet of how Biden is physically experiencing the disease more than a year after his office announced that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer.

A spokesperson for the former president declined to comment to Reuters on Hunter Biden’s latest remarks. No additional information has been released identifying where the cancer may have spread beyond the bones.

Biden announced his diagnosis in May 2025

Biden’s office disclosed his cancer diagnosis in May 2025, less than four months after he left the White House.

At the time, his office said doctors had diagnosed prostate cancer with a Gleason score of 9, Grade Group 5, and that the disease had already metastasized to his bones. A Gleason score of 9 indicates an aggressive form of prostate cancer.

Despite the seriousness of the diagnosis, Biden’s office said the cancer appeared to be hormone-sensitive, which provided treatment options for managing the disease.

The diagnosis followed medical evaluation after Biden experienced urinary symptoms and doctors discovered a prostate nodule, according to the announcement reported at the time.

Biden addressed the diagnosis publicly shortly afterward, writing that “cancer touches us all” and thanking supporters for their messages of encouragement.

Radiation and hormone treatment followed.

By October 2025, Biden had begun radiation therapy and hormone treatment for the prostate cancer.

“As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President Biden is currently undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment,” a spokesperson told ABC News at the time.

Hormone therapy is particularly relevant in Biden’s case because his cancer was described from the beginning as hormone-sensitive. His office has not provided detailed medical records publicly showing the cancer’s progression since the original diagnosis.

Hunter Biden’s latest comments therefore offer new information about his father’s condition, particularly the amount of pain he is experiencing.

The younger Biden became emotional while discussing his father’s health and said it was difficult to watch him deal with the disease. AP reported that Hunter described his father as continuing to remain publicly engaged despite the pain associated with his illness.

Hunter also said his father does not complain much about what he is experiencing.

The former president has continued making selected public appearances while receiving treatment. In June 2026, he attended the dedication of former President Barack Obama’s presidential library in Chicago, according to Reuters. Biden served as Obama’s vice president from 2009 until 2017.

Cancer has long been personal for the Biden family.

Cancer has occupied an unusually prominent place in Biden’s personal life and political career.

His eldest son, Beau Biden, died from glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in 2015 at age 46. Beau’s death became one of the driving forces behind Biden’s work on cancer research during his years in national office.

As vice president, Biden became closely involved with the Cancer Moonshot initiative under the Obama administration. After becoming president, he revived the program and set an ambitious goal of reducing the U.S. cancer death rate.

His own diagnosis years later placed the disease at the center of the Biden family’s life once again.

Former first lady Jill Biden has also spoken publicly about the reality of her husband’s illness. Recent reporting has described her as saying that cancer is now something the family expects to manage over the long term rather than a short period of treatment.

Hunter Biden’s comments on Friday went further by describing the physical toll on his father.

For now, however, significant questions about Biden’s current medical condition remain unanswered. His office has not disclosed where the cancer has spread beyond the bones, what his current treatment regimen involves, or whether doctors have changed their approach since the radiation and hormone treatment announced last year.

What is confirmed is that Biden continues to live with metastatic prostate cancer and, according to his son, the illness is now causing considerable pain and physical difficulty.

The former president has nevertheless remained visible outside Washington and has continued working on projects after leaving office. Reuters reported that his presidential memoir is scheduled for publication on Nov. 17.