Joe Biden's Stage 5 cancer: Why prostate cancer often goes undetected till later stage

Former US President Joe Biden's prostate cancer diagnosis at an advanced Stage 5 grade has perplexed at least some. The diagnosis came just four months after leaving the White House and White House physician Kevin O'Connor was slammed for allegedly covering up his cancer diagnosis ahead of the presidential election. 

 

Why is it so hard to believe that prostate cancer could go undetected? According to doctors, it is possible for this particular cancer to go undetected till a later stage.

 

Biden's diagnosis was revealed after doctors found a "small nodule" on his prostate following an examination last week after he developed urinary symptoms.

 

Several doctors and right-wing commentators alleged that O'Connor covered up Biden's cancer as it is "the easiest cancer to diagnose when it first starts".

 

Types of Prostate Cancer Staging

 

There are two types of staging for prostate cancer: 

 

1) Clinical staging, which is based on the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, a digital rectal exam and a Gleason score.

 

2) Pathological staging, which is based on the information uncovered after prostate surgery. 

 

In order to understand the progression of the cancer, grading tests are conducted. Gleason's score tells the doctors how likely the cancer is to grow and spread. 

 

According to experts, in some cases, prostate cancer goes undetected and can be known only when it spreads to bones. The common symptoms that occur in the case of prostate cancer could also be benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), prostatitis, urinary tract infections and even kidney stones. 

 

Prostate cancer often goes undetected as it grows slowly and may not cause any noticeable symptoms in the early stages. The progression varies among individuals as well. 

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