Decades after Vietnam War, research links Agent Orange exposure to MDS blood cancer
Why it matters: New research finally links Agent Orange to MDS blood cancer, potentially opening doors for veteran benefits.
- Dr. Mikkael Sekeres and his team at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center have published clear evidence in Blood Advances linking Agent Orange exposure to MDS, a connection he describes as a "passion project" after treating numerous affected veterans.
- Agent Orange, a blend of herbicides used during the Vietnam War, contained dioxin, a highly toxic compound known to cause severe birth defects and increase cancer risk, and was often mixed with kerosene or fuel, another carcinogen.
- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) currently recognizes several cancers as presumptively linked to Agent Orange, qualifying veterans for benefits, but MDS is not yet included, a gap this research aims to address for affected veterans.
Decades after the Vietnam War, new research led by hematologist-oncologist Mikkael Sekeres provides compelling evidence linking Agent Orange exposure to myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a group of blood cancers. This study, published in Blood Advances, suggests Agent Orange can cause earlier, more aggressive forms of MDS, a connection previously suspected but not formally recognized by the military or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
