1 00:00:00,480 --> 00:00:02,080 Speaker 1: News out of the US, of course, is that Joe 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:05,480 Speaker 1: Biden has been diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer that 3 00:00:05,480 --> 00:00:08,280 Speaker 1: has spread to his bones. In a statement has offered 4 00:00:08,320 --> 00:00:11,120 Speaker 1: said that the eighty two year old two year old 5 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:15,040 Speaker 1: rather was diagnosed on Friday. Channel nine US correspondent Jonathan 6 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:18,919 Speaker 1: Kurzley is with US Now. Hey, Jonathan Heather, Hello to 7 00:00:18,960 --> 00:00:21,840 Speaker 1: you and the listeners. Now, he's been set at a 8 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:23,800 Speaker 1: level I'm guessing it's out of ten. At a nine, 9 00:00:23,960 --> 00:00:25,200 Speaker 1: that sounds bad, is it. 10 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:30,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's deeply worrying for the president and for his family. 11 00:00:30,840 --> 00:00:34,320 Speaker 2: We heard this statement come out of his personal office 12 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 2: a few hours ago now, and he talked about this 13 00:00:37,360 --> 00:00:40,880 Speaker 2: sort of Gleason scale, which is, as you said, out 14 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 2: of ten. He sits at a nine confirmed yet prostate 15 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:47,320 Speaker 2: cancer that was diagnosed on Friday, US time. It's two 16 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 2: days ago from now. They'd found a nodule in his 17 00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:53,600 Speaker 2: prostate last week when he went for a check. It 18 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 2: was obviously examined and tested, and it's come back with 19 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 2: what is very very serious news. It is prostate cancer 20 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 2: that is aggressive. It is also, as you said, spread 21 00:01:05,840 --> 00:01:08,959 Speaker 2: to his bones. Now medical experts are saying that that 22 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:12,120 Speaker 2: is not a good sign. Combine that with the Gleason 23 00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:14,880 Speaker 2: scale level of nine, you're looking at a cancer that 24 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:19,560 Speaker 2: is not durable, but treatable. It is manageable. So the 25 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:22,400 Speaker 2: question now for Joe Biden and his family is the 26 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,000 Speaker 2: path forward. What sort of treatment options do they want 27 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:27,920 Speaker 2: to go through? What sort of treatment options are open 28 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:31,160 Speaker 2: to them, and so that's the key question they're going 29 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:33,959 Speaker 2: to have to decide on now. For the eighty two 30 00:01:34,080 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 2: year old who had questions obviously over his health is 31 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:42,120 Speaker 2: mental acuity while he was in office, And now two 32 00:01:42,200 --> 00:01:44,800 Speaker 2: days before a book is set to be released about 33 00:01:44,880 --> 00:01:47,480 Speaker 2: those very concerns and a book that is set to 34 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 2: be damning, he has confirmed the very sad news that 35 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 2: he has what is a very aggressive form of prostate cancer. 36 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:57,000 Speaker 1: So what are the treatment options available to him. 37 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:01,240 Speaker 2: Well, there's some immunotherapy options that are open to him 38 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:05,800 Speaker 2: as a possible way forward. His office is also saying 39 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:10,320 Speaker 2: that this is responding to could respond to hormone style treatment, 40 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 2: so that is essentially suppressing the testosterone in his system. 41 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 2: That's what medical experts are saying. And it was interesting 42 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:20,080 Speaker 2: the statement that came out from his office said that 43 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:23,519 Speaker 2: the form of cancer he has seems to be able 44 00:02:23,560 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 2: to or can respond to that hormone management, that hormone 45 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:31,919 Speaker 2: treatment as a level of managing this cancer. So that 46 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:33,760 Speaker 2: may well be a path forward, and that may well 47 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:36,880 Speaker 2: be an indication of which way Joe Biden goes down 48 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:39,320 Speaker 2: for this treatment. We've certainly seen a flood of support 49 00:02:39,360 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 2: come in from right across the political divide. Barack Obama, 50 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:45,960 Speaker 2: Kamala Harris, who was of course his vice president, and 51 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:51,080 Speaker 2: US President Donald Trump put out a very presidential style statement, 52 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:53,920 Speaker 2: if you like, to say that he was saddened by 53 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:57,919 Speaker 2: the news of the diagnosis of the former president and 54 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:01,120 Speaker 2: hoped for a speedy recovery. So clearly there are a 55 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:03,600 Speaker 2: lot of thoughts going to the former president now as 56 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:05,639 Speaker 2: he faces what he's going to be a very, very 57 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:07,639 Speaker 2: difficult and serious challenge for him. 58 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:10,959 Speaker 1: Jonathan, I read somewhere that you, as you say, you 59 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:13,639 Speaker 1: never really kill this kind of cancer, especially at this 60 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:16,720 Speaker 1: stage and how serious it doesn't want it's in your bones. 61 00:03:16,760 --> 00:03:20,040 Speaker 1: You just basically manage it, and management would suggest four 62 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:22,400 Speaker 1: to five years of life lift. Is that about right? 63 00:03:23,639 --> 00:03:26,639 Speaker 2: Well, I'd rather leave it to the doctors to work 64 00:03:26,639 --> 00:03:28,800 Speaker 2: out the exact prognosis as to how long the former 65 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:31,480 Speaker 2: president has a range of medical experts that are speaking today. 66 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:34,640 Speaker 2: They're not treating the former president. They don't know. What 67 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 2: they're all saying is that each individual cancer case is 68 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:42,840 Speaker 2: of its own. There are generalizations that can be made, 69 00:03:42,840 --> 00:03:46,160 Speaker 2: but there are specifics that apply to certain individuals. You 70 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:48,000 Speaker 2: do have to look at Joe Biden's age and say 71 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 2: he's eighty two. That adds another layer of concern. The 72 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 2: fact it's spread to his bones. Yes, that's also a concern, 73 00:03:54,960 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 2: But I think we're best off waiting to hear exactly 74 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:01,800 Speaker 2: from his offers from his doctors as to how long 75 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:04,600 Speaker 2: they may well have given him. Clearly there was a 76 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:07,000 Speaker 2: reason why they didn't state that. Today they are obviously 77 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:10,520 Speaker 2: looking at treatment options and not wanting to talk negatively 78 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 2: about it, but there are certainly going to be questions 79 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 2: about how long could Joe Biden potentially push through this. 80 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:19,159 Speaker 2: I was having a look at the numbers today. It's 81 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:21,560 Speaker 2: estimated that there's going to be some three hundred thousand 82 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:25,279 Speaker 2: plus Americans diagnosed with prostate cancer this year alone. Thirty 83 00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:29,360 Speaker 2: five thousand of those are estimated will die. So you're 84 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 2: looking at a ten percent rate where people do not 85 00:04:32,600 --> 00:04:36,279 Speaker 2: make it for this type of cancer, you then have 86 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:38,880 Speaker 2: to bear in mind while there's different varying levels of it. 87 00:04:39,040 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 2: Clearly this one has been caught very late. It's been 88 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:47,000 Speaker 2: caught very aggressively. The last full annual checkup Joe Biden 89 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:49,919 Speaker 2: had as president as commander in chief was in February 90 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:52,800 Speaker 2: of last year, when his doctor Kevin O'Connor said he 91 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:56,159 Speaker 2: was in a very fit condition. Clearly something has happened 92 00:04:56,160 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 2: in that timeframe. Clearly there has been a huge developm. 93 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:02,479 Speaker 1: I'm getting a lot of texts along these lines. How 94 00:05:02,560 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: is it that somebody who was having regular and presumably 95 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:10,120 Speaker 1: thorough annual checkups, this only gets spotted when it's like 96 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:11,000 Speaker 1: well advanced. 97 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:14,600 Speaker 2: I think these are the questions that right now, rightly 98 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:18,719 Speaker 2: are being asked. Is this clearly wasn't being portrayed in 99 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:25,680 Speaker 2: his annual report last year. There was a statement put 100 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:27,359 Speaker 2: out a few years ago after one of his annual 101 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:31,239 Speaker 2: checkups that described polyps being found in his prostate. Again, 102 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:33,960 Speaker 2: that was the same doctor Kevin O'Connor. That was back 103 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:36,159 Speaker 2: in twenty twenty one, So that would have been his 104 00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:39,680 Speaker 2: first checkup after coming into office, when he would have 105 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:41,960 Speaker 2: gone down to wall to read and gone through this 106 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 2: medical scenario of going through all of the screening and 107 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:50,719 Speaker 2: testing and everything else that are presidential's annual checkup goes through. 108 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:52,680 Speaker 2: But you do have to look at the timing now 109 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:55,440 Speaker 2: and go, okay, well, his last full checkup was February 110 00:05:55,440 --> 00:05:58,440 Speaker 2: of last year. You're now looking at May twenty twenty five, 111 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:01,320 Speaker 2: and all of a sudden, there is a very aggressive 112 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:04,000 Speaker 2: prostate cancer in there. Now. It may well also be 113 00:06:04,120 --> 00:06:06,839 Speaker 2: a reminder and a message to men right across the 114 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:10,320 Speaker 2: board to say, if you're of a certain age, go 115 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:13,880 Speaker 2: get yourself checked. And I think it certainly props those 116 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:17,120 Speaker 2: warnings as well. But clearly there are huge concerns now 117 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:21,560 Speaker 2: for the former president. We've seen some insinuations from Donald 118 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:24,839 Speaker 2: Trump Junior suggesting that this may well have been covered 119 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 2: up the entire time, and it's interesting seeing that statement 120 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:32,480 Speaker 2: compared to the one from Donald Trump Junior's father. But 121 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:36,520 Speaker 2: certainly Joe Biden has a very very difficult and very 122 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:38,560 Speaker 2: very serious challenge ahead of him over the course of 123 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:40,320 Speaker 2: the next weeks and months. 124 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:42,080 Speaker 1: Jonathan's good to talk to you. Thank you for that, mate, 125 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:46,039 Speaker 1: appreciate it. As Jonathan Kursley Channel nine US correspondent. 126 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:49,200 Speaker 2: For more from hither Duplassy Alan Drive. Listen live to 127 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:52,359 Speaker 2: news talks it'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow 128 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:54,159 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio