Agent Orange?

[Aiden14]

Has anyone attributed their prostrate cancer to Agent Orange during the Vietnam era?

[BerkshireBear]

<quote>

publichealth.va.gov/exposur...

May 4, 2016 - Prostate Cancer and Agent Orange. Veterans who develop prostate cancer and were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service do not have to prove a connection between their prostate cancer and service to be eligible to receive VA health care and disability compensation.<endquote>

[Aiden14 in reply to BerkshireBear]

Thanks

[spouse21]

My husband was heavily exposed to Agent Orange. The VA has given him permanent 100% disability. While he checks in with the VA regularly, he has private medical insurance and sees a medical oncologist at a major cancer.

Note: While the VA said they would cover any treatment the private oncologist prescribed, this turned out not to be the case with Zytiga. The VA only has Xtandi in its formulary, and it was a total waste of time trying to get the VA to cover the Zytiga.

Husband 70 yrs (74 now) pacemaker; Agent Orange 9/14: blood in urine; DRE suspicious 11/14: biopsy G 9 (4+5), PSA: 3.32 high Gleason, low PSA, PNI involved

Lupron taken for 33 mos (currently on Lupron again after a year hiatus.)

6/15: 9 wks IMRT

9/15= .14

1/16= .093

4/16= .079

11/16=.05 (nadir)

2/17-5/17=.05

1/17= .08

2/18= .20

4/18=0.98

6/18= 3-4 bone mets seen on CT scan

7/18= 3.29 (ALP 78)

8/18= 9.0 Lupron re-started with a month of Casodex

11/27/18 = 7.0

2/9/19 Zytiga/Prednisone started with ongoing Lupron

2/28/19 = 4.02 (ALP 85)

4/11/19 = 1.80 (ALP 68)

5/28/19 = 1.53 (ALP 65) but need to call onc about liver enzymes, which showed up as out of range 67 AST + 95 ALT. Bilirubin okay for 3 mos on Zytiga

[spouse21]

Thank you for showing the VA forumulary, Bill, which my husband did know about it turns out. All the same, nearly two months passed with no one at the VA giving Mass General the green light to prescribe the Zytiga though a VA pharmacist said it would be approved, someone else at the VA said so, but it did not happen. The VA onc there said he had to have Xtandi, which isn't what the Mass General onc prescribed. It was one of those Kafkaesque scenarios where you just give up. Two months were lost.

I'm going to start a separate thread for champ VA for myself. Maybe it'll be easier to get that than for my husband to get Zytiga through the VA.

[j-o-h-n]

I've seen quite a few member's posts claiming Agent Orange could have been the cause of their Pca.

Good luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Thursday 06/13/2019 5:38 PM DST

[BucksctyJ]

As already noted the VA covers Prostate Cancer treatment for those exposed to Agent Orange. Contact an AMVETS VSO (volunteer) to help expedite your disability claim. A lot easier and more effective than trying to make entries online yourself.

[Aiden14]

Thanks

[David1958]

My thanks to all of you who served in that war. I am glad to see that the VA covers your PCA medical needs. I never went the military route and started my flying career in 1972 when I was thirteen. To what can I attribute my PCA to? Gamma rays? Flying in the flight levels certainly exposes us to all sorts of radiation that only lead underware would have prevented. My dermatologist is certainaly benefitting from all my sun exposure up there. No government bennies cover that kind of exposure. KUDOS to you for the help you are getting from the government. I salute you.