Barely a few months after giving in his chair as president of the United States, Joe Biden must face “aggressive” prostate cancer, according to an official announcement published today via a press release. Indeed, Joe Biden would suffer from prostate cancer with a Gleason score of 9. This type of score indicates a particularly aggressive tumor, with bone metastases already identified.
At 82, old man’s disease seems to have been diagnosed late, or perhaps hidden during his mandate. In any case, this is what the original SIN (“original sin”) of journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson denounces. This book, which appears these days at Penguin Press, says that Joe Biden’s state of health would have been aware of the facts during the last months of his mandate.
Frequent cancer, which represents the second cause of mortality by cancer in humans
Questioned by True Medical, Professor Michaël Peyromaure, head of the Urology Service at Cochin Hospital is also surprised by this delay in diagnosis. “”It is surprising that a former president, followed medically closely, discovers this tumor so late. This means that we are probably in the worst clinical scenario“He believes.
He recalls that “Prostate cancer is the most common cancers in humans. It represents the second cause of mortality by cancer, behind that of the lung“.
In most cases, this type of tumor can be identified at a local stage, thanks in particular to a simple blood test: the PSA dosage, a specific tumor marker. The prostate, gland located under the bladder, can develop two types of pathologies: a Benin adenoma (centered on the gland) or a clever cancer, which appears on the periphery. “”Prostate cancer rarely gives symptoms at first, which makes the PSA dosage all the more essential “ explains the PR Peyromaure.
If the disease manifests – blood in the urine, weakened urinary jet, bone pain, alteration of the general state … – it is often the sign of an already advanced stage, where the tumor has left the prostatic capsule and can have spread.
A much darker prognosis when cancer is advanced
When cancer is detected at a localized stage, it can be cured in 90 to 95 % of cases. Even in the event of local spread, without metastases, the effective treatment rate remains high (60 to 70 %). But beyond, the perspectives change radically.
“”When the tumor is metastasized, the treatment is no longer curative but palliative. This means that it slows down the disease without being able to cure it “ Details the PR Peyromaure.
And the figures are telling: one in two patients died within five years of diagnosis, with a life expectancy reduced to ten years on average.
What treatment, for metastatic prostate cancer?
The treatment of Joe Biden – currently under discussion according to the official press release – should therefore be based on hormone therapy, the objective of which is to block testosterone because this hormone stimulates tumor growth.
Administered by injectable or oral route, this therapy is often accompanied by heavy side effects: intense fatigue, hot flashes, sexuality disorders …
If bone metastases are present, chemotherapy can be considered, as are targeted radiotherapy sessions to relieve pain.
From what age should you be tested?
The case of the American president recalls the importance of early screening, essential to avoid serious forms. PR Peyromaure insists: “From the age of 50, every man should perform an annual dosage of the PSA, associated with a rectal touch “.
And some populations must be even more vigilant:
- In the event of family history of the disease, in a father, an uncle, a brother …;
- For people of Afro-Antilulaise origin;
- For those exhibited at Chlordecone.
In these cases, screening is recommended from 45 years old. Simple, non -invasive, but potentially vital follow -up. Because, as the Biden case shows, even the most medically followed personalities can miss a diagnosis in time. And when cancer has spread, medicine can no longer promise healing.
Recall that the High Authority for Health has not recommended the implementation of a prostate cancer screening program by the dosage of the serum PSA. Neither in France nor elsewhere, the health authorities recommend a systematic screening of this cancer by dosage of the PSA in asymptomatic men. However, some men may want to submit to a screening for this cancer. If you plan to pass a screening test or if your doctor suggests it, it is crucial to be well informed about the profits and risks associated with these exams as well as on their implications.