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throat cancer and agent orange



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feenix

				          
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        			    January 30, 2004 - 9:19am			  			

			
			
greetings to all.I am a State Representative in the Maine State House.I have retired from the Air Force as a 22 year Msgt.I was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer ,had 6 surgeries and months of radiation and swallow therapy.I am 100% disabled in the agent orange program having been exposed to agent orange in 67-68 in country.I have worked for many years as an advocate,lobbyist and a volunteer with veterans.I serve on the committee for legal and veterans affairs and I am chairman of the Veterans health Care Task Force for the State.If I can ever be of any help to anyone in any way.Please email or call me anytime day or night.Official contacts: email reproger.landry@legislature.maine.gov tel 1 800 423 2900 or 207 2871400. Personal: email feenix@metrocast.net tel 207 490 3483


‹ Anyone like me? What can nurses do to better help you? ›

						
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spongebob

				      
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February 3, 2004 - 6:17am

			
Re: throat cancer and agent orange
			
Ahoy, feenix!


Thanks for the post and your offer.  I was unaware that throat cancer was yet another side effect of AO - believing it was mostly stomach cancer that resulted.


Know that the work you do is extremely important and much appreciated! And just seeing that you are still here to fight that fight no doubt gives a lot of folks faith that thay will also beat cancer. 


Hope you're keeping warm up there in ME.  How 'bout those patriots?


- SpongeBob



			
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love2run

				      
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March 29, 2005 - 2:17pm

			
Re: throat cancer and agent orange
			
I am a Viet Nam vet from Iowa exposed to agent orange.  I was first diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil in 1984 at the age of 36.  Treatment was surgery.  Ten years later, at the age of 46, I got it again in the other tonsil.  Treatment was surgery radiation, dental surgery, hyperbaric oxygen treatment.  It was a long haul, but I am still healthy.  I am looking for any information regarding my type of cancer and agent orange exposure.  I want to file a claim with the VA so I can have VA insurance in place if I should happen to get sick again.



			
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mickey24

				      
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September 26, 2005 - 8:59pm

			
Re: throat cancer and agent orange
			
I am A Viet Nam vet that had squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil that spread to my lymph nodes. There is legislation just introduced in Congress that could make pharyngeal cancer compensable. Lets drum up some support for it. Congressman Bradley of N.H. has introduced a bill to add nasopharyngeal cancer to the list of presumptive diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange during military service in Viet Nam. The bill is titled H.R. 3209. Please contact your Congressman/woman and ask them to support/co-sponser this bill. Thank you, Mickey



			
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vetswife

				      
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December 10, 2005 - 6:51am

			
Re: throat cancer and agent orange
			
My husband had Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma . (By the time they found it, it was stage 4, 2 - 4 years after it started.) The chemo & radiation stopped the cancer 10 years ago.    However, the radiation has been taking his sight & hearing for the past 5 years.  He's learned to adapt to the loss of saliva.  But he's legally blind and has glacoma from the radiation. (He also has emphyzema, which I don't think is related?? but adds to his disability).

I have been following the VA-Agent Orange newsletter for years waiting for nasopharyngeal cancer to be up graded to service related.  Even though it is category 3 - Inadequate/insufficient evidence category, it is so rare that I don't think any more research is being done on it.

**Is there any way to find out, how many of the few men in America with it, were in Vietnam?  Because if only 1.4 white males per 100,000 in US have it - why is he 1?

**I just read in the Agent Orange Newsletter that even if his cancer is on the presumptive list, we'll still have a problem with his claim because he was on a Navy ship. And I don't think he was ever on land in Vietnam.  Only the Phillipines & Hong Kong.  Do you have any info on Navy vets' claims?

Thank you for posting your reply.



			
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Balad2003

				      
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July 22, 2010 - 4:04pm

			
Throat Cancer and Agent Orange (AO)
			
vetswife,


Please accept my prayers that your husband and you are now considered survivors.


On the subject of throat cancer and AO, within this website and also the Mayo clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/oral-and-throat-cancer/DS00349/DSECTION=risk-factors; there seems to be a connection between smoking and excessive alcohol with throat cancer.


But what I found interesting to your husband's case was the Mayo Clinic's last reference - Asbestos. US Navy ships, especially old WW-2 ones, were loaded with asbestos. Is this the nexus of medical evidence between service-connection to current disability that you are looking for to file a claim?


Most of the US Navy personnel that actually put feet on the ground (and those USN personnel the Mekong/Riverine Forces) in South East Asia (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia) are getting a higher success rate for AO claims. Those US Navy personnel on a big ship (the blue water navy) have a better case with asbestos/mesothelioma serrvice connection.



			
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alrankin

				      
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September 14, 2010 - 3:54pm

			
Blue water Navy & agent orange
			
I just finished radiation treatment after being diagnosed with stage 2 laryngeal cancer. Am now recovering from the radiation and hopefully the cancer too, although that is yet to be determined. I spent 3 "cruises" in the Tonkin Gulf from 67-70 working on the flight deck of USS Ranger and also flying as a crewman on A-3 Skywarriors. We flew tanker/ECM support for all mission during those years. Now I'm wondering if the VA will allow any disability whatsoever related to agent orange, given all the tiptoing going on in congress. What is the latest and is there an approach to take in this regard at the present time?



			
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hank4569

				      
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November 5, 2010 - 10:31am

			
Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
			
I'm starting to look into this for a client of mine. He's been denied 3x now trying it on his own. I've never done a VA case before. I've looked at the decisions. I too wonder if there's any new studies? Who is a good expert witness? 



			
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MarineE5

				      
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November 5, 2010 - 9:07pm

			
Blue Water claims
			
Hank, 


The VA was paying the claims for Agent Orange for a period of time in the 90's up to around 2002. The VA then stopped accepting the claims stating that the Veteran had to have " foot on ground " records. 


A person by the name of HASS fought the VA and won his claim in 2006 HASS vs. NICHOLSON. Then, a three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled 2-1 on May 8,2008 that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) acted lawfully and reasonably in 2002 when it cut off Agent Orange-related disability payments and began to deny new claims from veterans who served on ships off the coast of Vietnam but never actually “set foot” in country.


Here is a link you might find useful:


http://bluewaternavy.org/briefsummary.htm


There is currently 2 Bills that have been submitted to re-word some existing rulings. The Bills are H2254 and S1939, exactly where they are as far as being voted on, I did not check. 


Good Luck



			
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