Vietnam Veterans Bile Duct Cancer

Veterans who ate raw or undercooked freshwater fish during their service in southeast asia such as vietnam war veterans might have been infected.

Vietnam veterans bile duct cancer.

Vietnam war veterans than in other groups of people. The number of claims received has drastically increased over the years but a majority of the claims are denied. Symptoms of bile duct cancer. While it is rare bile duct cancer becomes more common as people grow older.

Although exposure to the liver fluke in vietnam is mainly through eating raw. Veterans may have developed this cancer from exposure to liver flukes from eating raw or under cooked fish during their service. Cholangiocarcinoma bile duct cancer and veterans of the vietnam war. This type of cancer is rare in the united states but much more common in southeast asia.

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. 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. However currently va is not aware of any studies that show that bile duct cancer occurs more often in u s. What is cholangiocarcinoma bile duct cancer.

The va rejects claims on the basis of there not being enough evidence of bile duct. But this is not seen as enough proof to receive benefits. Vietnam veterans were exposed to two different risk factors regarding developing cholangiocarcinoma due to their service in vietnam. Bile duct cancer is a cancer of the biliary duct system which includes the gallbladder bile ducts and certain cells inside the liver.

Of the 60 claims for assistance from the va submitted in 2017 by veterans with bile duct cancer three out of four have been rejected according to veterans groups. 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. Some veterans who served in vietnam thailand laos and cambodia have developed bile duct cancer.