Former President Joe Biden receiving radiation treatment for cancer, spokesperson says

Former President Joe Biden has begun receiving radiation treatment for the "aggressive" form of prostate cancer he was diagnosed with in May, a spokesperson confirmed with USA TODAY.

Doctors had found a  "small nodule"  on the 82-year-old Democrat's prostate during a routine exam that his office said had spread to the bone.

"As part of a treatment plan for prostate cancer, President Biden is currently undergoing radiation therapy and hormone treatment," the Biden spokesperson told USA TODAY on Oct. 11.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men, affecting 1 in 8 men in the United States, according to the  American Cancer Society . While about 1 in 44 men will die of prostate cancer, the group says most men diagnosed with the illness do not die from it.

Biden's illness is said to be hormone-sensitive, which means it is susceptible to treatment.

"Cancer touches us all," Biden said in a May 19 post on X . "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."

He turns 83 next month.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer