Agent Orange and Kidney Cancer

messsarge said:

Kidney cancer and lymph node cancer
I was in Viet Nam in 1968 and 1969. I had my right kidney removed in november of 2009 and 18 lymph nodes removed in november of 2010 , one had cancer , I applied with the VA but was denied I have filed an appeal and am waiting for response . I am now writing letters to doctors trying to get them to say cancer could be caused br agent orange.

hmm362 said:

Agent Orange and Kidney Cancer
Served with USMC in Vietnam 8/65 - 10/66. Helicopter squadron based north of Chu Lai and 4 months off Carrier from DaNang to Saigon.
1) 1983 Renal cell Carcinoma - Removed large tumor, full nephrectomy right kidmney, right adrenal and lymph nodes
2) 1988 same - mid abdominal - Removed tumor and lymph nodes
3) 1990 same - left adrenal gland - Removed tumor and 3/4 adrenal gland
4) 2001 same - left kidney - Removed tumor and partial nephrectomy (1/4) left kidney

I was 39 when I had my first bout with Renal Cell. There is no history of cancer in my family.

I've been lucky. my Doc (Urologist) wrote letter in support of Agent Orange Claim but claim denied.

Pamelaquaz said:

Won my Kidney Cancer VA Case
My husband died in 09, today was the first day I looked at a kidney cancer board since. I hope I can help a little bit. I won his case and he got the 100%service connection for renal cell carcinoma due to agent orange.

I think all I can do is list the things I found out in winning my case. It is not easy. the bureaucracy makes it complicated.
First look at all the archived cases from the VA board of appeals. You will find them at the VA.gov website. Last I checked there were a couple of dozen wins for Kidney Cancer. Search for that and search for renal cell carcinoma.
Www.bva.va.gov, then click on Search Decisions

It is not on the "list." All this means is you have to prove a Medical Nexus in addition to proving service in an Agent Orange location and proving that you do have Kidney Cancer.

To prove service connection to Agent Orange location you have to have a Viet Nam Combat Action Ribbon. If you don't, maybe there are other ways to prove that, check the archived cases.

To prove medical nexus you must first provide proof that your doctor who writes the letter is an expert in Kidney Cancer. Because the doc you see at the VA as part of the application for benefits won't find any reason to say that your cancer was caused by agent orange, until it ends up in a place "on the list" such as lungs. Which resets your date when you finally win, you don't wnat this to happen. If you have a general oncologist it would be worth a trip or more to be seen by an expert, An expert is one who writes published papers, is head of A University dept., things like that. I had two experts write letters. I found one expert throughvthe VA and one thru a clinical trial.

You must use a service organization to help you. Not those guys who sit at thedesk at the VA but get those guys to assign someone to you.

Finally the wording of your medical nexus letter is critical. Help hte dr.s know how to word it by searching the archives. I think it has to say something like "significantly more likely than not" . This is only my memory so please research the archives. If the dr. Says stuff like "in my opinion" or "probably" it will get kicked out. You will probably have to appeal, be sure and keep the appeals and disagreement letters timely, the whole case will be lost if you miss a filing date. And sadly in my experience the veteran had to still be alive or everything was lost. Maybe that's changed.
I hope this helps someone. I found in the end that everyone was helpful, even everyone in the VA. They ate just trying to work within the rules. My case took about three years I think.

Roggy said:

Kidney cancer
I had my left kidney removed due to cancer. I served in Korea 1969/70 during the spraying of agent orange. I also had NH Lymphoma and diabetes type 2 both of which are service connected but they denied me for Kidney cancer which I think is wrong.

vietvet said:

Agent Orange & Renal Cell Cancer: VA Disability
The Pamelaquaz post is one of the most comprehensive posted on this site. However, let me provide everyone with my perspective. I am a USMC Vietnam Vet from 1966. I had my right kidney removed in August 2009 after a CT scan for a hernia revealed a 10+ cm tumor. This month makes 3 years since I filed my original disability claim with the DVA. Per various sources, it appears that I have approximately 2 more years until this claim is finalized.

First, let me say to all of you that decided not to file a claim and instead wait for RCC to be added to the DVA's "Presumptive" list..... you will not receive any disability payments for those years that you didn't file a claim. Payments are retroactive back to a Veteran's original file date. Currently, 100% disabled benifits pay for a single Veteran is $2,769.00 per month. If you compute this over the expected 5 year cycle of a disability claim approval, you get a total sum of $166,140.00, tax free dollars. I guess you know what I would suggest.

Secondly, many of the various Veteran Service Officers that represent your respective State, or service organization; e.g., DVA, VFW, etc., are always helpful, but not extremely effective. My suggestion is that you take control of your own destiny, and handle your own case. Become involved! The Internet has unlimited resourses for you to use, including blog sites, such as this one.

When you begin to craft a strategy, think about this one.... first, understand that there is NO way to prove what the causative factor was for your RCC; thus, you must DISPROVE the probability of any other known causative factor, except for Agent Orange. Remember, the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims has ruled that "a veteran need only demonstrate that there is an 'approximate balance of positive and negative evidence' in order to prevail". Therefore, you strategy is simply to establish the principle of reasonable doubt, that any other causative factor, except AO, could have been responsible.

Without trying to split hairs, here are the universlly accepted suggestive causes of RCC: Hereditary/Genetic predisposition, Environmental Factors of the Work Place - (Exposure to coal dust, cadmium, asbestos, petroleum products, dry-cleaning solvents, radiation, and other toxins), Environmental Factors of Personal Health - (Obesity, hypertension caused by high blood pressure, diabetes disease, and smoking), Environmental Medical Factors -(Previously received treatments of Chemotherapy, Dialysis, and Radiation).

Take these suggestive causative factors and have them systematically elimated by having your doctor(s) overlay them with your medical history. Help these doctors craft a letter that demonstrates and opines that AO is the "More Likly Than Not" causative factor. In my case, I wrote the letters, put them on a flash drive, and took them to my doctors for his approval and/or minor editing. Not a single one said NO.

As for these letters of "NEXUS".... although it has been stated to get experts with notable, published, credentials, it is not necessary, although preferred. Just make sure that your doctors have their letter of opine signed and notarized with a copy of their resume, and a listing of any publications that they may have authored for medical journals.

I suggest that you solicit letters from a General Practitioner, Urologist, and Oncologist. It is also suggested that you look at the possibility of getting letters of opine from a known Epidemiologist that is well acquainted with Agent Orange. Just remember this.....you never get, unless you ask. You wouldn't believe how many AO and Toxicology experts are sympathetic towards our plight, and have a sense of patriotism for us veterans.

Go for it!

Roggy said:

Kidney cancer and diabetes mettilus type 2
Don't over look kidney cancer and diabetes...Since diabetes affect the kidneys...That is how I got my kidney cancer approved with a rating of 60%....

Don't know if you're still looking for feedback or not, but in September, 2010 I had surgery for kidney cancer.  I was in Vietnam from March '66 to March '67 and humped the flightline where Agent Orange was stored.

I currently recieve compensation for diabetes, but, of course, not for my kidney cancer.

Please let me know what else is needed, and if anything breaks on this subject.

Paul Mashburn

Harriman, TN

suecons said:

Agent Orange and Kidney Cancer
My husband served in Viet Nam from 1967 to 1968. In March of 2008 he had his right kidney removed due to a very large tumor. We were told at that point that the tumor was cancerous but was contained and that the margins were clear. In April 2010 a ct scan revealed that it had spread to his lungs. After many targeted therapies, drug trials, he succumbed to this disease in July 2011. All of his doctors have attributed his disease to agent orange.
Both his parents are alive and healthy 87 and 92. His last days were horrible as he also suffered from PTSD. I have filed a claim, actually a week before he died he asked me to do it, When asked by the VA why, he replied "so my children know I did not die in vain". I am so angry that this chemical has taken my wonderful husband from me. Even when the VA adds it to their list, which I am confident it will, it will not bring back my husband.

I am so grateful that I found this site. My husband also servrd in Vietnam. In 2009 he started having pain in his left leg. He went to the VA clinic,asking for an ex-ray and was denied. He was told that he had burcitus,was given pain pills and sent home. As the months passed the pain became unbearable. He returned to the clinic demanding an ex-ray. They continued to tell him that he was getting older and had burcitus. Through his crying out in pain they agreed to perform an ex-ray. Nothing was said to him as he left to drive home. Later on during the same day he heard a pop,more pain and ask me to call 911. He was examined and told that his bone broke and that he would need sugery asp. H ewas diagnosed with kidney cancer that spread to the bone. Two months later he had his kidney removed. Dr. told him that the cancer sat in his kidney for years. In Jan. of 2011 my husband passed away at the age of 69. His doc. also told us that he had several Vietnam Vets with kidney cancer that could be associated with Agent Orange. We were turned away from receiving any help.I am still fighting with them and I will continue to do so. I miss my husband very much. I was cheated out of many happy years with him.

flatlander said:

My old girlfriends Dad had
My old girlfriends Dad had agent Orange problems since Nam. After college we.broke up and.married others. She heard I have kidney cancer and said her Dad the Nam vet just Got.over same .... He is cancer free in Pennsylvania since surgery....

Here is a funny fact, if you are a firefighter with kidney cancer (like me) it will be in the left kidney they tell me.

That is very interesting about the left kidney/firefighting. I am a retired FF/PM. My cancer was in my left kidney also.I retired in 1999 and was diagnosed in 2002 and had a left nephrectomy. I now have 2 tumors in my right kidney. There were several F/F in our department that died from Kidney cancer. We were exposed to many things in the FD that could cause it...deisel fumes from engines idling on accident scenes etc. and there were some other things also. The twist in my case is that my paternal grandmother had it when she was 50, had a nephrectomy and lived to her upper 80's. I love geneaology and hooked with a guy from Penn from her family line so I asked him if he knew of anyone else in the family that had had kidney cancer and he said he had it at 36 but he thought it was from agent orange in Vietnam. But it does make me wonder about a different angle for you guys if they are fighting the Agent Orange thing...two I can think of are exposure to asbestos and cadium...and I know when I researched this in 2002, it mentioned some paints, also working around auto..like engines etc. I wish I could find that site...but I remember telling some of my firefighter friends about these things back then. My husband's cousin died several years ago and his family ran a used auto parts business, they still do and he had kidney, bladder and thyroid cancer and remember thinking about that list I had found back there and thinking it could have easily been connected to his work. Just a thought. And I sincerely Thank each and everyone of you including the widows for your service and your sacrafice. It is greatly appreciated. My nephew is fighting with the VA right now. He was a Sgt in the Marine Corp and did 3 tours in Iraq..on the last one he was the only survivor when his Humvee hit an IED. He has been diagnosed with a deep delayed onset Traumatic Brain Injury. He suffers terrible seizures and migraines, balance problems.I just talked with him yesterday because my surgery on my right kidney is scheduled for Feb 8. A partial nephrectomy done robotically..Hopefully, all will go well but being a realist I called him and told him I was going in to sign my will on Monday and I wanted to leave $500.00 to a Veterans Org and he chose the Wounded Warrior Project.