Dic Pulmonary High Grade Mucoepidermoid Cancer

[gjackon]

This is the Lung Cancer my husband had, He died. I have been denied for DIC, Lung Cancer, and for Agent Orange, Several Times, All on appeal. I don't know where else to go I have looked up the cancer on Web MD, on the Cancer Site and cannot find no info on it. I need to know a little something about it and I can't seem to find anything The VA has denied me of DIC, I need help, I need the DIC to help me with the bills left from his death, and I am not old enough to get his SSI, I have 10 more years before that If any one can help I thank you now. gj

[Guest jstacy]

According to what I read, It starts out as cancer of t he salivary glands in the mouth or throat. It can spread to other organs. It is one of the most serious forms of cancer. I had an uncle die from it a few years ago.

[Berta]

Ms. Jackson- I posted a reply as to Agent Orange cancers to you over a week ago-

You had posted the question under Social topic or another topic-

I gave you information as to the Agent Orange Soft Tissue Sarcoma cancers-I do not know if mucoepidermppid cancer is an STS cancer-it could be called a different name in his medical records.

there are almost 40 types of sarcomas and the docs use numerous medical terms.

Do you have you husband's medical records, and copy of any autopsy done?

My answer is somewhere at hadit- to you on the STS cancers and Agent Orange.

There is plenty of info on the web on the type of cancer your husband had:

http://www.acscsn.org/Forum/Discussion/thr...6&msgrid=24

http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/QAs/Headnec.../QAs/1068545953

http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/cgi/...tion/12/13/3878

it might be in those sites or you might need a good Independent Medical Opinion to show this cancer as soft tissue sarcoma- therefore an AO cancer.

This type of cancer can also involve the trachea as well as lungs- etc-

Does your husband's medical records show he had cancer of this type in his trachea-

http://www.massgeneral.org/cancer/research...c/tumorbank.asp

I believe this can be shown to be a soft tissue Sarcoma-and if so, it is an Agent Orange Cancer-

Is this type of cancer -you mentioned- listed on his death certificate, as a contributing or main cause of death ?

Has the VA made any determination yet if you are eligible for a war time death pension?

The pension could come well before the DIC award.

I am a widow too- I am sorry for your loss and it can be difficult-

Do you have a veteran's organization representing you?

Did you get a VCAA letter telling you what the claim needs to succeed?

Where actually is your claim at now?

Berta

[Berta]

Ms Jackson- in addition to my post in Social (Aug 9) and here this AM-

I suggest that-(I found in the older post that you do have a vet rep- this is good-)

I suggest you give the vet rep a copy of my replies here from hadit to you-

If the vet rep has question- or wants to contact me- I can email or call your vet rep directly-

let me know under this topic.

There are only 2 veterans claims at the BVA with this type of cancer and it was not associated with Agent Orange-in one claim- in the other it was-

The BVA denied on basis of a VA doc's opinion and the veteran did not attempt to get an IMO or try to provide evidence that this was of an STS type-

I do not know if your husband had an STS type of cancer-

If this is a Soft Tissue Sarcoma (I am not a doctor and the med records will have this info possibly under any of many additional medical terms)- revealed by the medical records to be one of the 35-40 STS cancers recogized by the VA as due to AO-

His death- if this was a contributing cause to death-listed on the death certificate as due to this type of cancer contributing-his death can be service connected.

The VA breezes through the STS list fast-

they do not have the medical expertise to determine most STS cancers-

actually they should have sent you this list attached to their SOC-

I believe many AO vets with an STS cancer -who served in Vietnam- are unable to prove this because cancers have numerous medical terms associated with them and the VA, unlike the veteran or claimant, or a good IMO doctor ,does not take the time to fully read the medical records.

You or your vet rep have to go over the veteran's medical records thoroughly and look up every medical term in them-to see if there is medical terminology to prove Soft Tissue Sarcoma-

I know this is a lot of work-I have done it-

I get DIC because I did this type of work-

One of my local AO cancer vets gets AO SC compensation because we found the right medical terms for his type AO cancer in his medical records.

He had NHL due to AO but they focued on other terms for it-

the VA called it adenocarcinoma and other things- but it was NHL due to AO.

Hope this helps=

If your WEB TV does not link well-to some internet sites- go to any local library and use their PC-and Internet EXplorer-

ask at the desk it the printer system is on for the PC you are using-so you can print out what you need--there will usually be a library charge for print outs.

[gjackon]

Berta

I tried to send you a message, and it would not go through, His death certificate is mucoepidermoid cancer

and Lung Cancer, staph infection, phumonia, Lung Cancer being first on list, The vet rep here in our town is a female and she is good with signing forms but she is no vet. She told my husband the first time he applied for AO that it would go on through with no problems that was 2001, when he first found he had lung cancer. His cancer started from a mole under his nose, and the gums all his teeth had to be pulled this was 1986, then in 1995 it came back to his palet, and nose, then it 1999 it came back in his palet and gums. Then 2001 was found in his lungs, diaphram and esphogas, and then 6 months before he died his esphogas closed up from tumor and he could not eat or drink at all. feeding tube. His family on both mother and father side, never had cancer, and no one in his family ever went to Viet Nam but him, and he is the only one in his family so far, as far back as the 1800 who died with cancer all of them had heart problems. I told the Winston Salem Meeting this, Did not help. I will try to go the the other sites and see if I can find more on the cancer, I have medical records from the 2 main hospitals he went to but not all of them, I have called the Congressman Robin Hayes Office and gave them permission to help, been month ago have not heard from them. The first cancer they took was basel cell, and squamouns cell and later was mucoepidermoid.

Do you know if basel is STS, I not even sure of that. I will look up these you sent me and go from there thanks I have printed it off and will take to the rep, and see if she can help also.

[Berta]

This tells a little more about a soft tissue sarcoma form of cancer-

http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/435.cfm

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/cgi/medlineplus/lea...Fsitearea%3Dcri

I do not know if basil and squamous cells indicate a STS.

The initial mole he had- it is the diagnosis of that-regarding STS that could be critical to your claim- as it seems this is what metasized into the salivary glands, lungs, etc.

Attached to the VA denial or SOC should be the VA's long list of STS cancers-

Also- you will need the veteran's complete medical records and to take the time, or your vet rep could, to see if any medical terms fall into the VA's STS list.

Unfortunately this type of claim usually hinges on getting an Independent Medical opinion- unless one of his doctor's (Private doctors?) might be able to render a free IMO-

I think you should get in touch with his doctors-I am assuming these are private doctors -for some reason and not VA doctors? Especially the first diagnosing doctor- for the mole-

This might save you much time in interpreting the type of cancer he had-

Give them a copy of the VA's STS list and tell them you need to see if he fits into any category for your DIC benefits.

"I have medical records from the 2 main hospitals he went to but not all of them,"

Did the VA send you a formal VCAA letter yet?

Did they ask you where his med recs were?

How could the VA deny this claim without all of his medical records?

Did the VA get a copy of all of his med recs from all hosps before denying the claim? This is somehing your vet rep could find out-all of the med recs might be at the VARO.

Also if he was receiving SSA benefits for cancer the SSA would have copies of all of his medical records and they might be at the same office where he first filed his SSA disability claim.

I am assuming the VA found you ineligible due to income for any wartime widow's pension?

Even without an STS diagnosis-this is a rare type of cancer-

A widow proved to VA that a type of illness that caused her husband's death was due to a type of bug or lavae or something only found in a very isolated part of Korea where he served.He had an extremely rare disease only attributed ,by her endless research, to some members of a population found in a small area in Korea.

The widow had an IMO that supported a medical treatise she found on the web- that this disease was only found in this specific area and her husband's service records proved he had served there. The BVA granted DIC.

Nothing is impossible- with the VA- if this is not a STS cancer, it could have another service origin- If a doctor states that dioxin could more than likely have caused his type of cancer- this would support your DIC claim.

That type of opinion however would be best to come from an Environmental specialist- who would have the medical rationale to make that statement.

Did your husband get exposure to any chemical in service that is know to have caused this type of cancer later in life?

The Agent Orange issue is the prime focus yet the VA has to consider any potential means of service connection.

Is there anything at all in his service that also could have caused this rare type of cancer?

I was widowed twice- both vets-both with two periods of service-

my other husband had a brain tumor and was treated by private doctors.

These doctors and surgeons were most willing to explain in great detail to me the type of tumor he had -and to explain their detailed neurosurgical and post surgical notes.

If you approach any private doctors your husband had, you need copies of their entries on the diagnosis to do this.

Agent Orange is not over- it continues to cause death in Vietnam vets-from both sides and both populations- USA and Vietnam.

The National Academy of Science still studies the lingering affects of AO.

I believe most of us here will live to see more disabilities added to the AO list.

Any one with any disability that has a potential AO cause- even if not on the VA AO disease list, should not hesitate to file a claim.

[gjackon]

Berta

Thanks again,

Went to your post, and check on skin cancer. I found this, maybe nothing but just gave me a little hope again.

Causes and Risk Factors of Skin Cancer

list

on the list it has Exposure to Chemicals. Arsenic(an ingredient in pesticides), paraffin, industrial tar, coal and certain types of oil may increase risk.. I believe AO has an ingredient of pesticides. Could this be a little hope you think. Going to take this to my file.

Just hoping for a miracle....Thanks berta, I am still going to work on it will let you know

gj