A host of Latin American leaders have been mysteriously mum following the announcement by former President Joe Biden that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
As online tributes poured in from political luminaries in the US and across the globe – including President Donald Trump – a handful of notable leaders appeared not to publicly offer their support.
Those abstaining include Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Argentine President Javier Milei.
As of Monday morning, Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader was one of the few leaders to wish Biden the best.
‘I’m saddened to hear about former President @JoeBiden’s medical diagnosis,’ Abinader wrote on X Sunday night.
‘I send him my best wishes for a full and speedy recovery, and I pray for strength for him, his wife Jill Biden, and all their loved ones.’
Biden, 82, revealed on Sunday that he had been diagnosed with an ‘aggressive form’ of prostate cancer.
The cancer has metastasized and spread to his bones, a statement on the diagnosis said, adding that the Biden family is deciding on treatment options.
Former President Joe Biden was diagnosed with prostate cancer, his office said in a statement that was released Sunday
The announcement came a week after reports revealed that a ‘small nodule’ was found on Biden’s prostate that needed ‘further evaluation.’
‘While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management,’ Biden’s office said. ‘The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.’
Several world leaders – including Colombia’s Gustavo Petro, Paraguay’s Santiago Pena, Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa and Peru’s Dina Boluarte – traveled to the Vatican to watch Pope Leo XIV hold his inaugural mass at St. Peter’s Square on Sunday.
Other current and former leaders sent tributes to Biden after his diagnosis was revealed.
‘Joe, I’m thinking about you today,’ wrote former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on X.
‘You’ve always been a fighter, my friend! I am praying for your full and speedy recovery. Thank you for continuing to inspire us all.’
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also offered wishes to Biden in a statement.
‘I am very sorry to hear President Biden has prostate cancer,’ he said. ‘All the very best to Joe, his wife Jill and their family, and wishing the President swift and successful treatment.’
Many Latin American leaders have remained quiet since former President Joe Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis was revealed Sunday
Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader was one of the few leaders to offer public support for Biden
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also extended his wishes to Biden while lauding his efforts to combat cancer.
‘No world leader has done more to drive progress in the treatment of cancer and the search for a cure than Joe Biden,’ he wrote on X. ‘In this work, he has always been thinking of others. Today, all of us are thinking of him. Joe, Jill and their loved ones are in our hearts.’
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X that he was ‘deeply concerned to hear about [Biden’s] health.’
‘Extend our best wishes to him for a quick and full recovery,’ Modi said. ‘Our thoughts are with Dr. Jill Biden and the family.’
Former Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama also offered their support.
Trump, Biden’s longtime foe, wrote on Truth Social that he was ‘saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis.’
‘We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery,’ the president said.
On Monday, Biden shared a photo of himself and former First Lady Dr. Jill Biden on X thanking their well-wishers.
‘Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places,’ Biden wrote. ‘Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.’
Colombian President Gustavo Petro attended Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural mass on Sunday
Peruvian President Dina Boluarte also traveled to the Vatican to attend the first official mass celebrated by Pope Leo XIV
Pathologists grade prostate cancer under a scoring system known as the Gleason score.
The scores range from 6 (low-grade cancer) to 10 (high-grade cancer), with 8, 9 and 10 behaving more aggressively.
Biden’s office revealed that his score was 9, which suggest his cancer is among the most aggressive.
When prostate cancer spreads to other parts of the body, it often spreads to the bones.
Metastasized cancer is much harder to treat than localized cancer because it can be hard for drugs to reach all the tumors and completely root out the disease.
However, when prostate cancers need hormones to grow, as in Biden’s case, they can be susceptible to treatment that deprives the tumors of hormones.
Outcomes have improved in recent decades and patients can expect to live with metastatic prostate cancer for four or five years, said Dr. Matthew Smith of Massachusetts General Brigham Cancer Center.
‘It’s very treatable, but not curable,’ Smith said. ‘Most men in this situation would be treated with drugs and would not be advised to have either surgery or radiation therapy.’
