Agent Orange, melanoma not linked
Dear Dr. Roach: My husband was exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam in 1968. He had a melanoma on his neck removed with lymph nodes in 2007. On July 31, 2017, he was finally declared disabled from exposure, due to damage to his heart and lungs. He died four days later. Could you please comment on the possible link between Agent Orange and melanoma?
C.W.
Answer: I am sorry to hear about your husband. The sacrifices our soldiers have made are often shared by their families.
Agent Orange was a defoliant agent used by the U.S. military from 1962 to 1971. Several contaminants, including TCDD — a particularly toxic chemical in the dioxin class — was present in this and other herbicides used in Vietnam.
The health effects of Agent Orange including its contaminants are complex, and the National Academy of Sciences periodically publishes a comprehensive review. The most recent review stated this: “There is sufficient evidence of an association between the COIs [chemicals of interest: Agent Orange and its contaminants] and soft tissue sarcomas, B-cell lymphomas (Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphomas, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, hairy-cell leukemia), and MGUS.
“There is limited or suggestive evidence of an association between the COIs and bladder cancer; laryngeal cancer; cancers of the lung, bronchus, or trachea; prostate cancer; multiple myeloma; and AL amyloidosis.
“There is inadequate or insufficient evidence to determine whether there is an association between the COIs and any other specific type of cancer.”
The report looked specifically at melanoma and noted inadequate research to make a statement on whether melanoma risk would be increased by exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam.
Major risk factors for melanoma include lighter skin and excess exposure to ultraviolet light. Your husband was almost certainly exposed to excess ultraviolet light in Vietnam. Although the sun exposure probably increased his risk, I cannot say whether exposure to Agent Orange increased your husband’s risk for melanoma.