Former President Joe Biden’s prostate cancer has spread further since his diagnosis last year, according to his son, Hunter Biden. The disclosure has renewed attention on the former president’s condition and the growing number of prostate cancer cases in the United States.

“The cancer has spread, metastasized into his bones and further,” Hunter told BBC Newsnight in an interview that aired Friday. He described his father’s condition as “very painful” and “very debilitating in many respects.”

“It’s really sad to watch,” Hunter said. “The only thing that I’d say about my dad about his health right now is I wish he would complain more, because it’s not good.”

Biden, 83, announced his diagnosis in May 2025 after a “small nodule” was discovered in his prostate during a routine examination. His office said at the time that the cancer represented a more aggressive form of the disease but appeared to be sensitive to hormones, allowing for effective management.

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The former president and his family were reviewing treatment options with his physicians following the diagnosis. Biden later received hormone therapy and radiation treatment.

He completed a course of radiation at Penn Medicine Radiation Oncology in Philadelphia in October 2025, according to his spokesperson. Other common treatment options for prostate cancer include chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy and radiopharmaceutical treatments.

Fox News Digital contacted Biden’s office for comment. The latest information about his condition came from Hunter’s BBC interview.

Prostate cancer develops in the prostate gland and is found in men. Its overall incidence increased by about 3% annually from 2014 through 2021, according to the American Cancer Society.

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Rates of advanced stage prostate cancer rose about 5% per year during the same period. The American Cancer Society expects about 333,830 new prostate cancer cases to be diagnosed in the United States in 2026, while about 36,320 men are expected to die from the disease.

One in eight men will receive a prostate cancer diagnosis during his lifetime, according to the organization. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men, behind only skin cancer.

Age is a significant factor reflected in the statistics, with six in 10 cases diagnosed in patients who are 65 or older. The average age at diagnosis is 67, and men younger than 40 are rarely affected.

Among men who receive routine prostate cancer screening, the disease is generally detected before symptoms appear, according to the American Cancer Society. Possible early symptoms include difficulty urinating, a weak or slow urinary stream and a greater need to urinate, while some men may notice blood in their urine or bodily fluids.

Symptoms can change after prostate cancer has spread. More advanced cases may involve pain in the hips, back, chest or other areas, as well as erectile dysfunction, weight loss, extreme fatigue, weakness in the legs or feet, or loss of bladder or bowel control.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says men from 55 through 69 should have the option to receive periodic screening based on prostate specific antigen levels. The decision should be made after considering the possible benefits and harms.

“Before deciding whether to be screened, men should have an opportunity to discuss the potential benefits and harms of screening with their clinician and to incorporate their values and preferences in the decision,” the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force states.

The agency says screening offers a “small potential benefit” of reducing the chance of dying from prostate cancer. However, it also notes that some men can experience false positive results, overdiagnosis, overtreatment and complications from treatment.

Researchers are also studying alternative prostate cancer screening approaches, including a method involving a noninvasive urine test. Meanwhile, survival figures differ sharply depending on whether the cancer has remained localized or has spread to other parts of the body.

For localized prostate cancer contained within the prostate, the five year survival rate is at least 99%, according to the American Cancer Society. The rate is also 99% or greater for regional cases in which cancer has spread only to nearby structures or lymph nodes.

When prostate cancer has spread to other parts of the body, the five year survival rate falls to 37%. Actual survival can vary based on a patient’s age, overall health, the progression of the cancer after diagnosis, the response to treatment and other factors, the American Cancer Society noted.