Biggest population-based study reveals veterans may be at-risk of developing blood cancer

New research from an American University has found veterans that have been exposed to Agent Orange could be more likely to suffer from leukaemia.  

Experts from Georgetown University’s Comprehensive Cancer Centre and the Washington DC VA Medical Centre published findings this week which highlight that war veterans exposed to Agent Orange – a chemical herbicide and defoliant – could tragically suffer with blood cancer. 

Researchers analysed a database of 12,352,664 veterans and discovered they are more likely to develop myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), which are acquired stem cell disorders that can lead to overproduction of mature blood cells that can lead to an increased risk of blood clots in veins and arteries. If this wasn’t bad enough, when MPNs progress, they can become fatal and cause people to develop leukaemia.

‘MPNs are associated with serious cardiovascular events and people with this disease have decreased overall survival chances’, said Andrew Tiu, MD, a second-year oncology fellow at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital. ‘But until now, we haven’t been able to fully ascertain whether Agent Orange Exposure truly leads to the development of myeloproliferative neoplasms, which is why we’ve undertaken what is the biggest population-based study to date to try to answer this question.’

Looking into the research more closely, experts examined records of 93,269 MPN patients over the course of 17 years.

They discovered:

• The odds of Agent Orange exposure among MPNs are 1.63 times greater than the odds of exposure among controls
• When comparing people with MPNs Vs age, gender and race-matched controls, there were more blood clots found in the arteries and veins and evidence of internal bleeding
• People with MPNs had more hypertension, diabetes and heart failure than age, gender, and race-matched controls respectively
• The odds of Agent Orange exposure among matched controls with arterial clots are 1.38 times greater than the odds of exposure among controls without them
• The odds of Agent Orange exposure among MPNs with arterial clots are 1.49 times higher than the odds of exposure of those without

However, despite the research pointing to possible associations and not causes, Tiu notes that the experts will need to dive deeper into the biology of the disease.

‘There are several associations between Agent Orange and health disorders that are not well understood, and we hope our work helps uncover a few of these,’ said Tiu. ‘We are proud of the fact that our work was selected for a 2023 Conquer Cancer Merit Award and we’ll be using those funds to further our research efforts.’

The findings that have so far been highlighted are set to be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2023 annual meeting in Chicago this month.

Image: sydney Rae