Joe Biden completes radiation treatment for aggressive prostate cancer

Former President Joe Biden finished his week-long course of radiation therapy on Monday For stage IV prostate cancer Which spread to his bones.

Biden, 82, celebrated the milestone at the Penn Radiation Oncology Center in Philadelphia by participating in a traditional treatment. Bell ringingA ritual that signals the end of a cancer patient’s treatment.

“Ring the bell!” Ashley Biden, the former president’s daughter, wrote in an essay Instagram share With a video of her father ringing the silver bell while hospital staff cheered him on.

“Thank you to the amazing doctors, nurses, and staff at Penn Medicine,” Ashley continued. “We are very grateful.”

A Biden spokesman confirmed in a statement to CBS News The former president completed several weeks of radiation therapy at a Philadelphia hospital The office announced that it was subject to On October 11th.

It is unclear whether Biden, who turns 83 next month, will undergo any other procedures or forms of treatment for it Cancer diagnosis.

In May, Biden was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had spread to the bones.

His doctors described the disease as high-grade, with a Gleason score of nine out of 10, although it is hormone-sensitive – allowing it to be controlled with drugs and radiation.

Concerns about Biden’s health and age mounted in the final year of his presidency, leading to his cancer diagnosis Renewed anxiety On whether the Commander-in-Chief had a medical problem while in office.

Biden looked noticeably weak He was seen in public on Saturday For the first time since his office announced radiation therapy.

The former president was attending evening Mass at St. Joseph of Brandywine, a Roman Catholic church in Greenville, Delaware, that he has attended for decades.

“Dad has been so brave throughout his treatment,” Ashley wrote in a letter. Separate post on Instagram Monday, including a photo of her alongside Joe, former First Lady Jill Biden and two of the former president’s grandchildren.

“Grateful,” she added.