Joe Biden’s last recorded Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test, a standard method for detecting prostate cancer, was performed in 2014 during his time as vice president under Barack Obama, according to a statement released Tuesday by a spokesperson from Biden’s office.
“Prior to Friday, President Biden had never been diagnosed with prostate cancer,” the spokesperson stated, pushing back against speculation that the 82-year-old may have been privately dealing with the illness during his time in the White House.
The announcement this past Sunday that Biden is battling an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer, which has already metastasized to his bones, came as a shock to many of his longtime confidants. Several allies told The Post they were stunned that the disease could have progressed to such a dangerous stage without anyone in his inner circle knowing.
The official summary of Biden’s most recent physical, which was conducted in February 2024, included no mention of a PSA test. That report came from White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor, who has had a personal and professional relationship with the Biden family for many years.
A veteran aide to Biden speculated that O’Connor and the president may have deliberately opted out of performing a PSA test, concerned about the possibility of triggering unnecessary alarm. “I think the likely scenario, knowing Kevin O’Connor pretty well, is that they had a discussion on what a PSA test is, and they decided not to do one because it would likely be elevated and cause a story, since a lot of older men have high PSAs that are false positives,” the aide said.
“A blood test has a paper trail. They probably just didn’t do the test. I think it would leak if he had a PSA test they tried to bury.”
The aide went on to criticize that decision, pointing to the tragic irony of the situation. “What’s ironic,” the person said, “is that if they didn’t give the president a PSA test because of the potential for optics of a possible false positive, that decision is ultimately going to lead to his death because they could have caught it earlier.”
Another former White House staffer expressed doubt that any cancer diagnosis was deliberately hidden. “Frankly, residence staff talk. It would have gotten out … Also, Doc [O’Connor] isn’t discreet. Yes, he’s a doctor, but he’s always chatting,” the former aide said.
Current medical guidelines may also have played a role in the decision. The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force both advise against routine prostate cancer screening for men over 70. Biden passed that milestone in 2012.
“Men aged 70 years and older have a higher rate of prostate cancer, but because they are more likely to die from a cause other than their prostate cancer, the potential benefit screening is diminished,” the AAFP’s website explains. “Older men experience more harms from screening, including increased rates of false positives, overdiagnosis, and increased risk of harms from biopsy and treatment.”
Dr. Zeke Emanuel, a noted oncologist and one of the architects of the Affordable Care Act, weighed in on MSNBC’s Morning Joe Monday, saying the cancer had likely been growing inside Biden for many years. “He did not develop it in the last 100 to 200 days,” Emanuel said. “He had it while he was president. He probably had it at the start of his presidency in 2021.”
{Matzav.com}