Agent Orange Linked to Prostate Cancer

Vietnam War veterans exposed to Agent Orange have greatly increased risks of prostate cancer and of getting the most aggressive form, U.S. researchers said.

Lead author Karim Chamie of the University of California, Davis, Health System and the VA Northern California Health Care System said unlike previous studies that were either too small or conducted on men who were too young, patients in the current study were entering their prime years for developing prostate cancer.

"While others have linked Agent Orange to cancers such as soft-tissue sarcomas, Hodgkin’s disease and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, there is limited evidence so far associating it with prostate cancer," Chamie said in a statement.

More than 13,000 Vietnam veterans enrolled in the VA Northern California Health Care System were stratified into two groups — exposed or not exposed to Agent Orange from 1962 to 1971.

The study revealed that twice as many men exposed to Agent Orange were identified with prostate cancer and exposed men were diagnosed two-and-a-half years younger and were nearly four times more likely to present with metastatic disease.

The findings are published online ahead of print in the Sept. 15 issue of the journal Cancer.