Joe Biden’s announcement that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer has revived questions about what health issues the former US president was dealing with while he was in the White House.
In a statement on Sunday, Biden’s office said the 82 year old had received the diagnosis on Friday after seeing a doctor for urinary symptoms.
Some doctors have expressed surprise that the aggressive form of cancer, which has spread to his bones, had not been detected earlier.
Others pointed out that cancers can grow fast without the patient displaying symptoms – and that men over 70 are not routinely screened.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday his predecessor should have been more transparent with the public, seeming to suggest – without offering evidence – that the cancer diagnosis had been covered up.
“I think it is very sad actually. I am surprised that the public wasn’t notified a long time ago,” Trump said at an event at the White House.
“It could take years to get to this level of danger. So, look, it’s a very, very sad situation. I feel very badly about it, and I think people should try and find out what happened.”
Biden has yet to respond to Trump’s comments, which came amid reports that the Democrat’s aides sought to conceal other deteriorating health conditions from the public ahead of the 2024 election.
According to Original Sin, a new book by journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, Biden was unable to recognise Hollywood actor and Democratic donor George Clooney or to recall the names of key aides in his final year in office.
Credit: bbc.com
