Former President Joe Biden’s aggressive prostate cancer has spread further through his body and is causing him significant pain, his son, Hunter Biden, revealed in an emotional interview with the BBC.

“The cancer has spread, metastasized into his bones and further,” Hunter Biden said during an interview broadcast Friday on BBC Newsnight.

Hunter described his father’s condition as “very painful” and “very debilitating,” offering the most concerning public account yet of the former president’s health since his cancer diagnosis was announced in May 2025.

“It’s really sad to watch,” Hunter said.

A spokesperson for the 83-year-old former president declined to comment Saturday on Hunter Biden’s description of the cancer’s progression, according to Reuters. Biden’s medical team has not released a new public assessment explaining where else the cancer may have spread, how recently the progression was detected or whether his treatment plan has changed.

The latest information should therefore be understood as a firsthand account from Biden’s son, rather than a detailed medical update from the former president’s physicians.

An aggressive cancer diagnosed after leaving office

Biden’s personal office announced in May 2025 that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer after experiencing worsening urinary symptoms and doctors discovered a prostate nodule.

Testing found a Gleason score of 9, Grade Group 5, with cancer already metastatic to the bone. A Gleason score between 8 and 10 identifies a high-grade cancer that is more likely to grow and spread rapidly.

At the time, Biden’s office described the disease as aggressive but said it appeared to be hormone-sensitive, allowing doctors to manage it with treatments designed to deprive the cancer of hormones that help it grow.

Biden initially expressed optimism about his prognosis. He said in May 2025 that he had begun taking medication, felt well and was working with specialists.

His office later confirmed in October 2025 that he was receiving hormone treatment and radiation therapy. Biden completed a course of radiation at Penn Medicine Radiation Oncology in Philadelphia that month.

It has not been publicly disclosed whether the former president is currently undergoing additional radiation, chemotherapy or another form of cancer treatment.

What metastasis to the bones means

Metastatic prostate cancer occurs when cancer cells move beyond the prostate and establish tumors elsewhere in the body. The bones are among the most common places for prostate cancer to spread.

Bone metastases can produce persistent pain and may weaken affected bones. Depending on their location and severity, they can also increase the risk of fractures, spinal-cord compression and other serious complications.

The American Cancer Society explains that treatment for prostate cancer that has reached the bones may include hormone therapy, chemotherapy, targeted medications, immunotherapy, external radiation and drugs intended to relieve pain or protect bone strength.

Treatment and prognosis differ substantially from one patient to another. Hunter Biden’s remarks do not provide enough medical information to determine the former president’s current prognosis.

A painful period for the Biden family

Hunter became emotional while describing what the illness has meant for the family. He said his father remains its central source of strength and rarely complains about what he is enduring.

Hunter said he sometimes wishes his father would acknowledge more openly how badly he is feeling because his condition is serious.

The Biden family has lived through cancer before. Joe Biden’s eldest son, Beau Biden, died from glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, in 2015 at age 46. Beau’s death became a defining personal loss for the former president and helped shape his administration’s support for cancer research through the Cancer Moonshot initiative.

Former First Lady Jill Biden has previously indicated that her husband may have to live with cancer for the remainder of his life.

Biden remains publicly engaged

Despite the illness, Hunter said his father continues to participate in public life and speak about issues that matter to him.

Joe Biden attended the June dedication of former President Barack Obama’s presidential library in Chicago. Biden served as Obama’s vice president from 2009 to 2017 before winning the presidency in 2020.

Biden was 78 when he took office in January 2021, making him the oldest person at the time to assume the American presidency. He served until January 2025.

His age and physical condition received sustained scrutiny during his presidency, particularly after his June 2024 debate performance. Biden subsequently withdrew from the presidential race.

The former president has continued working on a memoir, “Promise Me, America,” which is scheduled for release November 17.

What remains unknown

The public has not received a formal medical update confirming the full extent of the cancer’s reported progression.

Hunter Biden’s statement indicates that the disease has advanced beyond what was disclosed when the diagnosis was announced. It does not identify the additional parts of the body affected or establish whether the progression occurred before, during or after Biden’s radiation treatment.

Until Biden’s doctors or personal office release more information, his present treatment, medical outlook and the precise extent of the cancer will remain private.

– with Agencies inputs --