'Strongest in the broken places': Joe and Jill Biden say thanks amid cancer diagnosis
Joe and Jill Biden said on Monday they were thankful for the 'love and support.'
WASHINGTON -- Joe and Jill Biden said on Monday they were thankful for the "love and support" they've received since the former president's office announced his cancer diagnosis on Sunday.
"Cancer touches us all," the couple said in a post on Joe Biden's social media account. "Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places. Thank you for lifting us up with love and support."
Biden's office on Sunday said he had been diagnosed on Friday with prostate cancer, saying that while it was "a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management."
"The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians," the statement said on Sunday.
The cancer has spread to the former president's bones.
While the Bidens have expressed optimism regarding his treatment options, many Americans are left wondering why this cancer wasn't discovered sooner.
"I had four prostate cancer patients in my clinic all ask me the same thing, like, how, how did this happen? You know, what are the circumstances?" said Dr. Paul Yonover, a Chicago-based urologist, who specializes in prostate cancer.
Biden said he received the diagnosis Friday after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms.
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"This is something that develops over years, not weeks and months. And so he clearly, he must have had the disease for quite some time. It was clearly undetected," Yonover said.
Without knowing Biden's background and family history, it's possible the former president stopped screening for prostate cancer in his mid-70s, which, Yonover says, could be consistent with guidelines authored by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
"I will have that conversation. 'Hey, you're 75. Your PSA is low; your prostate has been normal. I'm really not particularly concerned that prostate cancer is going to be in your future. I think, based on guidelines, we can omit screening," Yonover said.
At 82, Biden was the oldest sitting president when he left office in January, dropping out of the presidential race amid growing questions about his age and health.
Prostate exams can be a part of an annual physical, but it's not known if the former president had further testing done while in office.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked Monday if President Donald Trump is worried about the quality of care presidents receive.
"Not as far as President Trump is concerned," Leavitt said.
Yonover said he could see a scenario where Biden lives many years thanks to the advances in treatment.
He also hopes Biden's diagnosis will get prostate screening back in the national conversation.
Depending on risk factors, men should consider starting to screen as early as 40-45 years old.
ABC News contributed to this report.
