Vietnam Veterans Bile Duct Cancer

While most military personnel in southeast asia including vietnam ate canned meals or other meals provided by the military some veterans may have eaten raw or undercooked.

Vietnam veterans bile duct cancer. What is cholangiocarcinoma bile duct cancer. Veterans may have developed this cancer from exposure to liver flukes from eating raw or under cooked fish during their service. The risk factors are exposure to liver flukes and dioxin which is in agent orange documentation is available in the research files for both liver fluke and herbicide exposure. Vietnam veterans were exposed to two different risk factors regarding developing cholangiocarcinoma due to their service in vietnam.

The department of veterans affairs this spring commissioned a small pilot study to look into the link between liver flukes ingested through raw or undercooked fish and a rare bile duct cancer. Symptoms of bile duct cancer. Liver flukes parasites that infect a human when raw or undercooked fish is eaten are being investigated as the cause of a rare bile duct cancer among veterans who served in the vietnam war. Some veterans who served in vietnam thailand laos and cambodia have developed bile duct cancer.

But this is not seen as enough proof to receive benefits. Vietnam war veterans than in other groups of people. Cholangiocarcinoma bile duct cancer and veterans of the vietnam war. While it is rare bile duct cancer becomes more common as people grow older.

Bile duct cancer is a cancer of the biliary duct system which includes the gallbladder bile ducts and certain cells inside the liver. Although exposure to the liver fluke in vietnam is mainly through eating raw. The number of claims received has drastically increased over the years but a majority of the claims are denied. The va should be able to use the connection between vietnam service and bile duct cancer.

This type of cancer is rare in the united states but much more common in southeast asia. Bile duct cancer also called cholangiocarcinoma is a rare cancer of the biliary duct system. Veterans who ate raw or undercooked freshwater fish during their service in southeast asia such as vietnam war veterans might have been infected.