Small nodule found in Joe Biden’s prostate during recent physical

A small nodule was found in former President Joe Biden‘s prostate after “a routine physical exam,” a spokesperson confirmed to ABC News on Tuesday.

“In a routine physical exam a small nodule was found in the prostate which necessitated further evaluation,” a spokesperson told ABC News.

A “small nodule” can mean a wide range of things and will require further testing to understand the underlying cause. It is too early to say if it is a benign lump caused by inflammation or something more serious.

In February 2023, while serving as president, Biden had a lesion removed from his chest that was cancerous. Before entering office, Biden had several non-melanoma skin cancers removed with Mohs surgery.

“As expected, the biopsy confirmed that the small lesion was basal cell carcinoma,” White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor said at the time. “All cancerous tissue was successfully removed. … No further treatment is required.”

The news comes the same day that newly published excerpts from “Original Sin, President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,” by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, claim that Biden’s health was so poor that aides were considering the possibility of Biden needing a wheelchair if reelected.

Axios reported on Tuesday — in a story written by book co-author Thompson — that Biden’s advisers talked about how he might have to use a wheelchair if he won the presidency.

“Biden’s physical deterioration — most apparent in his halting walk — had become so severe that there were internal discussions about putting the president in a wheelchair, but they couldn’t do so until after the election,” the article said, quoting an excerpt from the book.

Another excerpt published in The New Yorker claimed that Biden seemed to not recognize actor George Clooney, who hosted a fundraiser for the former president.

A Biden spokesman responded to the numerous excerpts out Tuesday.

“We have not reviewed the book, and the authors did not fact check the book with us, despite it being a common practice to do so. So we are not going to respond to every bit of this book they choose to release via select leaks in the reporters’ efforts to make a profit. We continue to await anything that shows where Joe Biden had to make a presidential decision or where national security was threatened or where he was unable to do his job. In fact, the evidence points to the opposite – he was a very effective president,” a statement said.

In an appearance on ABC’s “The View” last week, both Biden and former first lady Dr. Jill Biden generally pushed back against the slate of new books from reporters claiming that Biden was dealing with cognitive decline at the end of his presidency.

“They are wrong. There’s nothing to sustain that,” Biden said.

Jill Biden was even more forceful defending her husband, saying, “One of the things I think is that the people who wrote those books were not in the White House with us. And they didn’t see how hard Joe worked every single day,” she said.

ABC News’ Sony Salzman contributed to this report.