Jill Biden Shares Optimistic Cancer Update on Joe Biden: “He Probably Won’t Die of Cancer”
Dr. Jill Biden said recent scans show the cancer is no longer in her husband's prostate, and doctors have told the former president he probably won't die of cancer — though the disease remains in his bones.
Speaking in the second part of a two-episode conversation on The Jamie Kern Lima Show, released Thursday, Dr. Biden described the latest scan results as "very optimistic" (Town & Country; InStyle). Former President Joe Biden, 83, was diagnosed in May 2025 with stage 4 prostate cancer that had spread to his bones.
The cancer in his bones remains the most concerning element of his condition, she said. She confirmed that he will need to stay on what she called "difficult" medication indefinitely. "Stage 4 cancer really slows you down," she added, describing the toll the diagnosis has taken on his daily life.
Despite that, Biden continues to work, travel, and make public appearances, Dr. Biden noted (Jamie Kern Lima Show, Facebook). Earlier this month, Biden himself said he is responding well to treatment, and Dr. Biden confirmed the treatment is ongoing (USA Today).
The interview was not only a health update. Dr. Biden previewed a new memoir the former president is writing, describing it as a reflection on his four years in the White House and his thinking on foreign and domestic policy (Town & Country).
Asked whether their son Hunter Biden should run for president, she gave a one-word answer: "Run."
The Biden family's experience with cancer has drawn attention from abroad as well. When Biden's diagnosis became public in May 2025, King Charles III wrote to him privately. Charles, who has himself undergone treatment for cancer, received a reply in which Biden wrote: "Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places" (Town & Country).
That exchange, between a former American president and a British monarch who share a diagnosis, was one of the quieter moments in a story that has played out very publicly. The latest interview brings the most detailed update on Biden's condition since the diagnosis, and the first time Dr. Biden has spoken at length about what daily life looks like for the couple now — the medication, the fatigue, and the continued work.
What stands out is the balance she described: a former president still writing, still traveling, and still engaging on policy, while managing a serious illness that, in her words, slows everything down.
