Al Roker shared his own experience with prostate cancer following former President Joe Biden’s diagnosis
The Today co-host sent his well wishes to Biden, writing, “You will face this latest challenge with courage, humor and grace”
Biden’s personal office announced on May 18 that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer
Al Roker is reflecting on his own experience undergoing treatment for prostate cancer after former President Joe Biden’s diagnosis was revealed.
On May 18, Biden’s personal office announced in a statement that the former politician, 82, was “diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.”
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,” the statement continued. “The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
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U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at a news conference at the Filoli Estate on November 15, 2023 in Woodside, California.
In response to the news, Roker, 70, sent well wishes to Biden, writing on X, “Mr. President. As I found out from my battle with prostate cancer, you are part of a group that no one wants to be part of, but knowing you, you will face this latest challenge with courage, humor and grace.”
The pair have had a long-standing friendship with Roker getting a surprise call for the former President after his shoulder surgery in 2014 and talking with the politician during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2021.
The television personality also recalled being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2020 during the May 19 episode of Today.
“When I was diagnosed, I had an 8 on the Gleason scale, but they said they had caught it early, even though it was aggressive, so I had a fairly wide range of treatment options.”
According to the American Cancer Society, a prostate cancer’s grade group is a measure of how likely the cancer is to grow and spread quickly. Grade group 5 means that “the cancer might or might not be growing outside the prostate and into nearby tissues. It has not spread to nearby lymph nodes or elsewhere in the body,” per the Cancer Society.
Roker announced his own diagnosis on Today on November 6, 2020.
“It’s a good news–bad news kind of thing,” he said. “Good news is we caught it early. Not-great news is that it’s a little aggressive, so I’m going to be taking some time off to take care of this.”
“We’ll just wait and see, and hopefully in about two weeks I’ll be back [on the show],” he added.
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Al Roker on ‘Today’ on Tuesday, January 7, 2025
Three days later, he underwent surgery at New York City’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to remove his prostate, lymph nodes and some surrounding tissue.
In an exclusive essay for PEOPLE in June 2024, the weatherman recalled experiencing nerves for a six-month check-up.
“After the surgery, you’ve got to come back in six months to see where you are,” he wrote. “And so as that six month date comes up, you’re a little more anxious because did this take? Is everything okay? I mean, they biopsy the material they take out and feel they got all of it, but you don’t know.”
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“I go and Dr. Laudone said, ‘Okay, you’re under 0.01, which is undetectable.’ That’s their standard,” he continued.
Roker also shared that he was grateful for early detection as it allowed him to become a grandfather. His daughter Courtney welcomed daughter, Sky, in July 2023.
“I’m so grateful I’m here to be able to see my first grandchild,” he said of Sky. “If there’s any reason to make sure you’re as healthy as possible, it’s that. That little girl is just everything. I mean, I love my children, but my gosh, I didn’t know I would love another person this much.”
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