Biden Discusses His Cancer Battle: "Some Days It Slows Me Down"

Former President Joe Biden shared on Sunday that his ongoing battle with cancer has impacted his daily life, though it hasn’t halted him completely. This revelation came in a message on his social media account, where he also announced the upcoming release of his presidential memoirs.

"Some days are better than others. It hasn't stopped me. But sometimes it slows me down," Biden stated, using the opportunity to mention that his doctors remain "encouraged" by his response to treatment.

The cancer diagnosis coincided with his work on the book. "While writing the book, I was diagnosed with cancer, a disease that millions of Americans and their families know all too well," he noted.

Biden was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer on May 16, 2025, scoring a Gleason 9—the highest risk category—with bone metastasis already present at diagnosis, placing it at stage IV.

Following the diagnosis, the former president began hormone therapy and later underwent combined radiotherapy in the fall of 2025, completing a round by October 21 that year.

By September 2026, Biden reported that the radiotherapy "worked as intended," though the severity of his condition was underscored when his son, Hunter Biden, revealed in August 2026 that the cancer had spread "to the bones and beyond," describing it as "very painful."

Just days before Biden's Sunday update, Hunter Biden commented on his father's condition, calling the treatment "incredibly taxing" on the body, yet clarified that the former president was "doing well" given the seriousness of the situation.

The health update was intertwined with the announcement of Biden's presidential memoirs, titled Promise Me, America, set to be published on November 17 by Little, Brown and Company in the United States.

The book, priced at $42 and spanning between 448 and 480 pages, delves into his presidency, the COVID-19 pandemic, the wars in Afghanistan and Ukraine, the January 6 Capitol riot, and his choice to step down from seeking reelection in 2024.

Biden acknowledged that his condition would limit the number of book events he could attend. "Unfortunately, I won't be able to have as many conversations about my book as I had hoped. However, I trust that the words on the page will speak for themselves," he wrote.

The former president concluded his message with a piece of advice his father often gave him: "Champ, when you get knocked down, get up." "It's a good lesson for me. And for America," added Biden, who is set to turn 84 on November 20, just three days after the book's release.