Joe Biden cancer spread update: Hunter Biden describes painful condition

Hunter Biden said Joe Biden’s cancer has spread to his bones and beyond, describing the former president’s condition as painful and debilitating in a BBC Newsnight interview. The update on Joe Biden cancer spread is an account from his son, rather than a new medical report, and it adds limited public detail about the former president’s illness.

Hunter Biden said the prostate cancer had “metastasised into his bones and further.” He said watching his father’s illness had been difficult for the family and that he wished Joe Biden would complain more because “it’s not good,” according to the BBC.

Joe Biden was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer in May 2025, CNBC reported. CNBC also reported that he later received hormone treatment and radiation therapy. The supplied excerpts contain no contemporaneous statement from Biden’s physicians or representatives detailing new scan results, his cancer stage, prognosis, or a treatment change connected to Hunter Biden’s interview.

What did Hunter Biden say about Joe Biden’s cancer?

Hunter Biden told the BBC that the cancer had spread into his father’s bones and further, and called it “very painful” and “very debilitating.” He also said Joe Biden remained publicly engaged and continued to speak out on issues he cares about.

The comments were made during a wide-ranging BBC interview. Multiple outlets reporting on that interview, including CNBC, The Hill and The Guardian, attributed the health update to Hunter Biden.

What does metastatic cancer mean?

Metastatic cancer is cancer that has spread from its original site to a distant part of the body, according to the National Cancer Institute. The institute lists bone among the common sites to which prostate cancer can spread.

The National Cancer Institute says metastatic cancer does not always cause symptoms. It also says pain and fractures can occur when cancer has spread to bone. That general medical information does not establish the cause, severity or treatment of Joe Biden’s reported pain.

Joe Biden is 83. His age was a point of concern during his presidency, according to reporting cited by the BBC and other outlets. Hunter Biden’s comments provide a family member’s description of his father’s current condition, but the available record does not include clinical details that would allow an assessment of prognosis.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.