Agent Orange ups prostate cancer risk

AUGUSTA , Ga., April 22 (UPI) -- U.S. veterans exposed to Agent Orange are at increased risk of aggressive recurrence of prostate cancer, researchers report.

A study of 1,495 veterans who underwent radical prostatectomy to remove their cancerous prostates showed the 206 exposed to Agent Orange had nearly a 50 percent increased risk of their cancer recurring despite the fact their cancer seemed relatively non-aggressive at the time of surgery.

Dr. Martha Terris, chief of urology at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta and Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine, said the cancer came back with a vengeance. The time it took the prostate specific antigen level to double -- an indicator of aggressiveness -- was eight months versus more than 18 months in non-exposed veterans.

"There is something about the biology of these cancers that are associated with prior Agent Orange exposure that is causing them to be more aggressive," Terris said in a statement. "We need to get the word out."

Terris said she wants her colleagues following prostate cancer patients with Agent Orange exposure to know those patients may need more meticulous scrutiny and so-called salvage therapy quickly if their prostate cancer returns.

The study appears in the May issue of the British Journal of Urology International.