‘Gift’ From Vietnam

Just when we thought we had a handle on the consequences of our service in Vietnam — Agent Orange — we now have another potential killer on our hands. Bile duct cancer, known as cholangiocarcinoma, can appear 25-40 years after eating raw fish in Asian countries. The fish contain small worms called liver flukes that burrow into the liver ducts, where they remain, causing inflammation for many years until the liver can turn cancerous. The Department of Veterans Affairs has turned down most of those who apply for benefits — generally the widows of veterans who have died of this cancer. It’s difficult to pinpoint something that happened so long ago, especially something as oddball as eating the wrong kind of fish or wading in the wrong body of water. The denials of benefits run the standard gamut. However, it’s now coming to light as more veterans are being affected, and the VA can’t ignore it. Lesser complications from fluke exposure can include cirrhosis, liver bile-duct stones and hepatitis. If you ate the fish, swam in the water, cooked or made Kool-Aid with unsterilized water, are getting jaundiced or are losing weight for no obvious reason, go to the VA immediately. Diagnosis can be tough. This isn’t generally considered an American cancer, but it’s now beginning to receive some attention, especially if you go to a VA doctor. If you are a Vietnam veteran who has been diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma or have been denied benefits for it, make a note of these links: www.va.gov/vetapp12/files1/1206119. txt www.va.gov/vetapp11/ files5/1144474.txt Both of these are appeals that were decided in favor of the veteran. The text of the 2012 appeal says that they “support a finding that the veteran’s cholangiocarcinoma was due to liver fluke exposure in Vietnam.”