Former President Joe Biden’s prostate cancer is causing significant pain and has continued to affect his daily life, according to his son Hunter Biden, who offered one of the most personal updates yet about the 83-year-old former president’s condition.
Speaking during a BBC interview broadcast Friday, Hunter Biden became emotional while discussing his father’s health and said the cancer had spread into his bones and beyond, describing the illness as painful and debilitating.
The comments provide new insight into how Biden is experiencing the disease, but they should not be interpreted as a new formal medical assessment. Biden’s office announced in May 2025 that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer with a Gleason score of 9 and metastasis to the bone. At the time, his medical team said the cancer was hormone-sensitive, meaning it could potentially be managed with hormone-based treatment.
Biden subsequently underwent radiation therapy along with hormone treatment. A spokesperson confirmed the treatment regimen in October 2025.
TRENDING TODAY
Hunter’s latest comments focus less on medical details and more on what the illness has meant for the Biden family.
He described watching his father deal with the disease as emotionally difficult and said he wished the former president would speak more openly when he was in pain. Despite those difficulties, Hunter said his father remained engaged with political and public issues.
That continued public involvement is notable given the seriousness of Biden’s diagnosis.
Metastatic prostate cancer means cancer cells have moved beyond the prostate to another part of the body. Biden’s bone metastases were already publicly known when his diagnosis was announced last year, so Hunter’s comments do not by themselves establish exactly how the disease has changed since then. No detailed new medical report from Biden’s doctors accompanied the interview.
That distinction matters in reporting on a former president’s health. A family member can describe pain, fatigue or changes they have witnessed, while questions about disease progression, treatment response and prognosis require clinical information from the patient’s medical team.
Biden has continued preparing for a return to the public spotlight despite his illness.
His memoir, “Promise Me, America,” is scheduled for publication on November 17, shortly after the November midterm elections. The book is expected to discuss his presidency, major policy decisions and his decision to abandon his 2024 reelection campaign.
The former president has also continued to speak publicly on political issues, according to his family, even as cancer treatment has required him to slow aspects of his routine. Earlier this year, Jill Biden said her husband would require continuing medical treatment because the cancer had spread to his bones.
Biden’s health has carried unusual political significance because concerns about his age and physical condition dominated the final year of his presidency.
He became the oldest person ever to serve as U.S. president. Questions about whether he was capable of completing another term intensified following his June 2024 debate performance, and he eventually withdrew from the presidential race the following month.
The cancer diagnosis was announced several months after he left office.
Hunter Biden’s interview therefore adds a personal dimension to a health issue that has already been heavily intertwined with debates about Biden’s political legacy.
It also illustrates the difference between remaining publicly active and being unaffected by serious illness. A former president can continue writing, speaking and participating in public life while simultaneously undergoing treatment and experiencing significant symptoms.
For now, there are limits to what can be concluded from Hunter Biden’s remarks. His description suggests his father is experiencing considerable pain, but there has been no accompanying detailed medical announcement explaining whether recent testing has shown additional progression or whether Biden’s treatment plan has changed.
Why It Matters
Joe Biden remains one of the most prominent former presidents in American politics, and his health could influence how active he is during the coming midterm election season and the release of his presidential memoir.
More importantly, the story highlights the reality that metastatic cancer can remain a serious and demanding illness even while a patient continues treatment and public activities.
Because the latest information comes primarily from Hunter Biden rather than a new medical report, careful reporting is especially important: his comments provide insight into what the family is witnessing but do not provide enough information to independently assess Biden’s current prognosis.
What Comes Next
Biden is expected to continue receiving treatment while maintaining at least some public activity.
His memoir is scheduled for release on November 17, which could bring additional interviews and appearances after the midterm elections.
Any clearer assessment of whether his cancer has medically progressed beyond what was known at the time of his original diagnosis would require further information from Biden, his doctors or his official representatives.
Hunter Biden described his father’s condition during an interview, saying the cancer has spread and is causing significant pain.
Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, says his father’s prostate cancer has “metastasised into his bones and further”. He added that the cancer is “very painful” and “very debilitating”.
The former US president was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer in May 2025. pic.twitter.com/ioUCtEhf44
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) August 9, 2026
