Former President Joe Biden has completed a several-week course of radiation therapy to treat an aggressive form of prostate cancer, marking a significant step in his recovery though not the end of his treatment, his spokeswoman confirmed Monday.
Biden, who turns 83 next month, finished the therapy at Penn Medicine Radiation Oncology in Philadelphia. His office first announced Oct. 11 that he had been undergoing radiation treatment for several weeks.
“He rang the bell today,” spokeswoman Kelly Scully said, referring to the symbolic gesture cancer patients perform after completing a round of therapy.
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Biden’s daughter, Ashley, posted a short video on Instagram showing her father ringing the bell, writing, “Rung the bell! Thank you to the incredible doctors, nurses, and staff at Penn Medicine. We are so grateful!” Photos she shared also showed Biden smiling with Jill Biden and two of their grandchildren, captioned, “Dad has been so damn brave throughout his treatment. Grateful.”
While ringing the bell typically marks the end of a treatment phase, doctors will continue monitoring Biden’s condition to determine whether further care is needed. “It is unclear at this time whether Biden will need to undergo additional therapy,” his office said.
Biden revealed in May that he had been diagnosed with advanced-stage prostate cancer that had metastasized to his bones, a disclosure that prompted widespread concern and speculation about his health following his time in office.
According to his office, the former president was diagnosed with “prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone,” after doctors discovered a small nodule in his prostate.
The Gleason grading system measures how abnormal prostate cancer cells appear under a microscope. A score of 9, the second-highest possible, places Biden’s cancer in the most aggressive risk category, according to CBS News.
Prostate cancer is the second-most common cancer among men, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Treatments can include radiation, surgery, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy.
Biden also underwent Mohs surgery in September to remove a form of skin cancer, a procedure involving the removal of thin layers of skin until only cancer-free tissue remains.
The former president, who maintains an office in Washington and frequently travels by Amtrak between there and his Delaware home, has begun fundraising and planning for a presidential library and museum documenting his time in the White House.
