Connection between service in Vietnam and Prostate Cancer

[Dave McClung]

Another of my friends has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. It has been 3 years since I was diagnosed.

After reading alot about the issue, I am convinced that the primary reason more men are being diagnosed is improved testing. It is probable that in the past a lot of men have had prostate cancer without being diagnosed. The development and improvement of PSA tests has allowed much earlier detection.

Congress passed a law that requires the VA to presume that if anyone who served in Vietnam gets prostate cancer it was caused by Agent Orange. There are significant benefits that result from that presumption.

The reason I am posting this is many veterans are unaware of this law. I only learned about it from one of the doctors I consulted. I consulted with six different doctors and only one mentioned that I should notify the VA.

If you know someone who has prostate cancer and who served in Vietnam, you will do them a favor by referring them to this link:
http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/prostate_cancer.asp

[Ryan Scott]

Yeah, at my last physical my doctor told me that basically every man will develop prostate cancer if they live long enough. It's one of the reasons he said I was not at increased risk even though my grandfather had prostate cancer - he developed it after age 70.

[Jim Chabot]

I lost a good friend to stomach cancer about fifteen years ago. He said that the agent orange used to come down right on top of them just like rain.

[Jim Franklin]

While having lunch with a friend who was a Nam vet I noticed a dark mole on his froearm and told him better have it checked. He put it off for several months and when he finally had it checked it was malignant and was placed in the hospital immediately where the stripped out his lymph nodes. That was in July of that year. He did a lot of reading and decided to go to Mexico for the Laetril treatment and came back looking great but then he had a setback and went to Mexico again but when he came back he was in a wheel chair. He died the next March and I was asked to read a tribute that I had written for his funeral. It was blamed on Agent Orange as well. He and his wife had been the local Beltone representatives.

[Nelson Bradford]

As a, thankfully, 13+ year prostate cancer survivor I continue to have a great interest in information such as this, Dave, and I thank you for posting it.

It still amazes me the number of men who have no idea what a PSA test is nor what it's for. Let's face it. Most men are too macho to admit they might have a problem. . . "there." They ignore those signs their bodies are signalling, refusing to go see their doctors, or even asking for that simple blood test.

(I am wondering now how many NazNet men over the age of 50 I'm speaking about.)

Guys? Please read and heed.

If you are over age 50 and have not had a simple PSA blood test within the past year, call your doctor and set up that appointment today.

It could save your life.

It saved mine.

-neb

ps - Isn't God good?!