Vietnam Vets With Bile Duct Cancer

Va disability benefits for cholangiocarcinoma.

Vietnam vets with bile duct cancer.

Parasites in raw or poorly cooked river fish. The 64 year old is among hundreds of veterans who have been diagnosed with a rare bile duct cancer that may be linked to their time in the service and an unexpected source. Veterans may have developed this cancer from exposure to liver flukes from eating raw or under cooked fish during their service. Liver flukes parasites that infect a human when raw or undercooked fish is eaten are being investigated as the cause of a rare bile duct cancer among veterans who served in the vietnam war.

This type of cancer is rare in the united states but much more common in southeast asia. However it is important to be aware of the risk of exposure due to service in southeast asia. Some veterans who served in vietnam thailand laos and cambodia have developed bile duct cancer. The worms infect an estimated 25 million people mostly in asia but are less known in america.

According to its website va is not currently aware of any studies that show bile duct cancer occurs more often in vietnam veterans than in other groups of people.