I have the same cancer as Biden -- what you need to understand [View all]

by Jeff P. Crim, opinion contributor
05/23/25 9:00 AM ET

I am a prostate cancer patient and a board-certified health care chaplain. I’ve served patients from every end of the spectrum. And I’m living with hormone-sensitive, high-grade (Gleason 9) prostate cancer, just like former President Biden.

Lots of political commentators have speculated about the timeline and severity of Biden’s recent diagnosis. If you don’t believe he only just found out, or if you’re wondering whether the short timeframe described in the White House’s public statement could really be accurate, I understand your skepticism. But I also understand this disease. And based on what I have lived and what I have seen in hundreds of patients, I want to explain why the official timeline is entirely plausible.

My cancer was found by mistake. A non-routine blood test was ordered in error, and that’s what flagged the concern. Just days before, I had undergone a prostate exam that came back completely normal. After my diagnosis, I consented to a follow-up evaluation by three different urologists to see if a more expert or aggressive technique would have caught it earlier. Only one thought he maybe felt something unusual. Maybe.

In other words, this is a cancer that hides well — even from the well-trained ...

https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/5312348-prostate-cancer-diagnosis-joe-biden/