Serious Concern for Veterans
- A wave of concerning studies with information affecting the health of our U.S. military have been pouring in, from contaminated water to radiation exposure linked to heightened cancer risk, and it’s imperative for veterans to know what their disability rating and health benefits are through this wave of health crises.
- A new government study on military workers at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina — who were stationed at the U.S. Marine Corps base between 1975 and 1985 — are determined to have a 20% higher cancer risk compared to other bases due to contaminated water issues.
- The VA Health Care system provides a wide array of in-house specialty services, and with healthcare provided to vets for little to nothing, it’s vital to be taking advantage of this benefit — especially if you have worked in high risk locations or have a family history of cancer.
- SurvivorNet provides extensive resources on prostate cancer screening and guidelines, along with other high-risk cancers for vets like lung cancer or thyroid cancer.
The latest report to surface is a Jan. 29 release of a government study on military workers at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina who were stationed at the U.S. Marine Corps base between 1975 and 1985. These veterans are determined to have a 20% higher cancer risk compared to other bases. Contaminated water at the base lies behind the latest probe led by senior epidemiologist Frank Bove after numerous other studies and lawsuits have put a spotlight on Lejeune.
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Speaking to the AP, Dr. Aaron Bernstein, head of the ATSDR and CDC’s environmental health programs, referred to this latest study as “remarkable,” while David Savitz, a disease researcher who has been recruited by the plaintiffs’ attorneys, said that while the findings are “quite impressive,” it cannot count as proof that the water specifically caused these cancers. However, it can certainly “add weight” to the arguments, he acknowledged.
Government Study Findings at Camp Lejeune
Roughly 211,000 people who worked at or were stationed at Camp Lejeune during that timeframe were compared to around 224,000 at San Diego’s Camp Pendleton.
The number of cancers were roughly the same, but what was interesting to scientists is that specific types of cancers at Lejeune were higher, and the risks associated with those types of cancers — most notably, thyroid cancer.
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs lists a public health information page for Camp LeJeune’s water contamination issues.
“From the 1950s through the 1980s, people living or working at the U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, were potentially exposed to contaminated drinking water,” the site reads. “Industrial solvents, such as trichloroethylene (TCE) and perchloroethylene (PCE), from dry-cleaning waste and benzene from leaking underground fuel storage tanks were detected in the water on the base.”
The VA’s government site also lists detailed cancer risk for Gulf War and post-9/11 veterans who were exposed to burn pits, providing those groups with educational information and encouraging them to file a claim for disability compensation to see if they qualify.
U.S. Airmen at Risk, According to Pentagon Study
A study released in March out of the Pentagon in Washington D.C. determined that U.S. airmen also have an increased cancer risk of around 24%.
Out of nearly 900,000 people tracked in the yearlong study who flew or worked on military aircraft between 1992 and 2017, 16% of men had a higher rate of prostate cancer and the same number overall for breast cancer. There was a 39% higher rate of thyroid cancer found and an 87% higher rate of melanoma.
U.S. Navy Shipyard Crisis
Most recently, as of last week, NBC News flagged another health crisis with the Long Beach Naval Shipyard in Southern California, which was closed down in 1997. Gilbert Wyand, who lived and worked there in the ’80s, has a type of leukemia related to radiation exposure.
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The outlet noted that “the Navy has known about multiple environmental contaminations at the base for more than 20 years,” citing a 2008 study the Navy conducted which detected radiation involving “levels of radium-226 and strontium-90,” publicly documenting the information for the first time last June.
Toxic Dangers for Nuclear Missile Workers
In December, the U.S. Air Force released documents about the potential toxic dangers that nuclear missile officers have faced for decades in the workplace after hundreds of “missileers” have come forward with cancer diagnoses, The Associated Press reported.
After downplaying the potentially harmful environment in the past, the Air Force has launched an even wider probe for 2024, taking the health concerns more seriously.
“The workplace is free of health hazards,” a rep for the Air Force stated on Dec. 30, 2021 of the nuclear missile facilities, according to The Associated Press.
The outlet obtained “hundreds of pages” of documents dated back to the 1980s detailing asbestos exposure and other toxins found in the missile officers’ underground workspaces.
Asbestos is a mineral fiber that occurs in rock and soil and is linked to lung cancer. The asbestos readings were 50 times higher than safety standards given by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Navigating the VA Health Care System
Given the severity of these multiple environmental risk factors for vets, it is important for vets to be aware of benefits offered through the VA Health Care System and take high advantage.
The VA Health Care system provides a wide array of in-house specialty services, and with healthcare provided to vets for little to no cost, there is no reason to skip using this hard-earned benefit, especially if you have worked in the high risk locations mentioned above and/or have a family history of cancer.
Getting your disability rating is important as your benefits increase depending on the outcome of the number. Vets with a higher disability rating will be able to get tests like CT scans covered completely with zero co-pay. Vets with lower disability ratings (rated down to 0%) will pay a co-pay, but the rates are still significantly lower compared to the average American’s healthcare plan.
You can learn more about your disability rating through the VA’s site.
Getting Screened for Prostate Cancer
Here at SurvivorNet, we are committed on being a valuable resource for vets on prostate cancer screening and treatment. Subspecialties such as urology for testing, diagnosing and treating prostate cancer can vary by location.
Even if your local VA does not have the services you need on site after your PSA (prostate-specific antigen) potentially comes back elevated, they will refer you over to a community urologist that they are contracted with — and in the meantime, will still help support and walk you through the process to help eliminate as much stress as possible.
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Dr. Matthew Rettig, medical oncologist and Chief, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System and one of the leading VA researchers on prostate cancer, gave SurvivorNet a step-by-step example of a veteran getting tested and potentially diagnosed with prostate cancer, explaining what that would entail.
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“If you’re a veteran and you have an elevated PSA, and this has been established through blood work, through your primary care doctor, you want to know what do next,” Dr. Rettig tells SurvivorNet of the standard screening method for prostate cancer.
“Your primary care physician should put in a referral to a urologist, the surgical subspecialist who focuses in prostatic diseases. That should happen automatically and you should not have to initiate a further effort to be seen by the urologist.”
What is a PSA Test?
A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is one of the most commonly used screening tools for prostate cancer. It is also used for tracking the disease following diagnosis and during treatment. To perform the test, your doctor will take a blood sample just like any other routine blood test.
The test checks for the level of PSA circulating in the blood. While the PSA protein is produced by normal prostate cells and usually present at low levels in the blood, it can also be made by cancerous prostate cells. As the cancer cells grow and become more active than normal prostate cells, they can cause PSA levels to spike. However, PSA can also be elevated for non-cancerous reasons too.
What is an Abnormal PSA Test?
Typically a PSA level of 4.0 ng/mL or higher is considered high and requires further workup. However, many men with a PSA above 4.0 do not have prostate cancer and some men with a PSA below 4.0 ng/mL can have prostate cancer. It’s crucial to review your test results with your care team to understand what they mean and if you need any follow-up.
For some men, an elevated PSA is normal. Numerous factors can cause a rise in PSA level too, including:
- Increasing age
- Enlarged prostate
- Benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH)
- Infection of the prostate
- Recent biopsy
- Recent ejaculation
Thyroid Cancer: Learning the Symptoms
Since thyroid cancer is of deeper concern based on the study’s findings, it is important to be aware of this specific cancer’s symptoms as well.
Symptoms of thyroid cancer include the following:
- A lump in the neck, sometimes growing quickly
- Swelling in the neck
- Pain in the front of the neck, sometimes going up to the ears
- Hoarseness or other voice changes that do not go away
- Trouble swallowing
- Trouble breathing
- A constant cough that is not due to a cold
Getting Skin Checks to Rule Out Melanoma
Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, can be screened by a dermatologist at many VA locations, and if your VA does not offer this sub-specialty, they can help direct you to a community provider.
Skin checks should be performed annually, unless there are any suspicious moles or marks on your body, then you should get in right away to rule out cancer.
You’re most likely to find melanoma on sun-exposed skin areas like your face, neck, arms, and legs. Surprisingly, you might also find them in other places as well, like:
- The palms of your hands or soles of your feet
- On your eyes or mouth
- Under your nails
Veterans at High Risk for Lung Cancer are Finally Getting Support
Vets are at higher risk of lung cancer, and the VA has been focusing on getting people to discover their cancer at a treatable stage.
In 2020, the VA partnered with the GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer to share information and resources through the foundation’s 750 screening centers.
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Among the veterans who benefit from this new program are those like Julio Sanchez, who was diagnosed with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer in November 2019 the same time his first grandchild was born.
“The diagnosis was a devastating blow to my life as I knew it! I’m a non-smoker and had never been screened, so it was not even on my radar,” Sanchez wrote in a profile on the GO2 Foundation website.
His treatments and resources have provided him much hope.
“I feel so blessed and lucky today to have access to medical treatment for lung cancer,” he wrote. “It is helping me live longer and spend more time with my loved ones and friends.”
No veteran should have to face any physical or mental health challenges alone. The VA offers many resources to help, and SurvivorNet is committed to highlighting those resources, along with providing extensive information from our team of medical experts to help you through your health journey.
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