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ABOUT CANCER

• The main types of cancer are leukemias

and lymphomas, involving the blood and 

related tissues; carcinomas, which occur 

in the skin, glands, and certain organs; 

and sarcomas, which involve muscles and 

connective tissues.

• Around 40,000 cancer cases are reported

to VA’s Central Cancer Registry annually, 

about 3 percent of all cancers in the United 

States.

• The five most frequently diagnosed

cancers among VA cancer patients were 

prostate, lung and bronchial, colorectal, 

urinary and bladder cancers, and skin 

melanomas. This list is similar to that for 

American men as a whole.

• Colon cancer can be cured if diagnosed

early, yet one-third of patients who 

develop colon cancer will die from the 

disease.

VA RESEARCH ON C ANCER: 

OVERVIEW

• VA researchers conduct laboratory

experiments aimed at discovering the 

molecular and genetic mechanisms 

involved in cancer; studies looking at the 

causes of disease; clinical trials to evaluate 

new or existing treatments; and studies 

focused on improving end-of-life care.

• VA researchers are finding ways to

maintain good health and enhance the 

quality of life of the increasing number of 

cancer survivors.

• While most of the patients VA treats are

male, the department is seeing increasing 

numbers of women Veterans. VA 

researchers are therefore looking closely 

at breast cancer, its causes, and treatments 

for the disease.

• VA studies are examining many topics

related to cancer, including the possible 

risks of e-cigarettes, the link between 

Agent Orange exposure and prostate 

cancer, and gene therapy to halt the 

growth of tumor cells.

• VA and DoD are working on a program

to tailor cancer care for patients based on 

the genes and proteins associated with 

their tumors. By using genomics, clinicians 

can provide individualized care based on 

patients’ specific biology.

SELECTED MILESTONES AND 

MA JOR EVENTS 

1932 - Established a tumor research 

laboratory in Hines, Ill.—the first VA 

research laboratory to receive funding 

specifically for research

1950 - Concluded, in a paper by Dr. 

Robert Schrek of Hines, there is “strong 

circumstantial evidence” linking cigarette 

smoking with respiratory tract cancers

1956 - Linked cigarette smoking with 

precancerous lesions

1984 - Developed a transdermal nicotine 

patch to reduce the cravings for cigarettes

2000 - Showed the superiority of 

colonoscopy to sigmoidoscopy

2012 - Demonstrated that observation is as 

effective as surgery in treating early-stage 

prostate cancer

2015 - Joined with gastroenterologists 

from throughout the United States, 

Canada, and the United Kingdom to 

develop a new set of recommendations on 

the surveillance and management of areas 

of pre-cancerous cells in patients with 

inflammatory bowel disease

2016 - Formed the Applied Proteogenomics Organizational Learning and Outcomes 

(APOLLO) consortium, with the Department of Defense and National Cancer 

Institute, to tailor cancer care based on 

individual gene and protein information

RECENT STUDIES: SELECTED 

HIGHLIGHTS

• E-cigarettes may be toxic to airway

cells, suppress host defenses, and promote 

inflammation over time, found a VA San 

VA research on 

CANCER

Cancer is a general term that includes more than 

200 different diseases. In all forms of cancer, cells in 

the body grow and multiply abnormally, eventually 

taking over and destroying normal tissue.

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Among other goals, VA researchers 

are finding ways to maintain good 

health and enhance the quality 

of life of the increasing number of 

cancer survivors.

Diego Healthcare System study in mice. 

E-cigarette vapor exposure also led 

to more damage from bacteria in the 

throat. (Journal of Molecular Medicine,

Jan. 25, 2016)

• Early lung cancer screenings 

can actually lower smokers’ 

motivation to quit smoking, 

according to researchers with the 

Center of Innovation for VeteranCentered and Value-Driven Care. Many 

patients believed that undergoing 

the screening process meant they 

did not need to quit. The researchers 

recommend that clinicians address 

misconceptions about lung cancer 

screenings with patients. (JAMA Internal 

Medicine, September 2015)

• Longer-lasting colonoscopies are 

associated with lower cancer rates, 

according to researchers with the 

Minneapolis VA Health Care System 

and the University of Minnesota. 

Patients who had been examined 

by doctors with withdrawal times 

shorter than six minutes, on average, 

were more likely to have cancer. 

(Gastroenterology, October 2015)

• Patients who received radiation 

therapy for testicular cancer were six 

times more likely to develop stomach 

cancer, according to an international 

study including researchers from the 

Oklahoma City VA Medical Center. The 

study further found that those who had 

received very high doses of radiation 

were at nearly 20 times the risk. (British 

Journal of Cancer, Jan. 6, 2015)

• Honokiol, an extract from magnolia 

tree bark, blocks a protein called 

epidermal growth factor receptor 

(EGFR), found researchers with VA 

and the University of Alabama at 

Birmingham. EGFR is associated with 

squamous cell cancers of the head and 

neck. In the study, honokiol shut down 

cancer-cell growth in animal models. 

(Oncotarget, Aug. 28, 2015)

• Low-dose aspirin can impair the 

ability of breast cancer cells to renew 

themselves, found a Kansas City (Mo.) 

VA Medical Center study involving mice. 

A daily dose of aspirin almost halved 

tumor growth by altering the molecular 

signature in breast cancer cells. 

(Laboratory Investigation, July 2015)

• Gene therapy could halt the growth 

of prostate tumors, according to 

Kansas City (Mo.) VA Medical Center 

researchers. A combination of genes 

for prostate-specific antigen and 

prostate stem cell antigen seemed to 

stop prostate tumors from growing 

in mice by promoting the production 

of T cells that attacked tumor cells. 

(Immunotherapy, June 2011)

• Multitarget stool DNA testing 

is significantly more sensitive

at detecting colorectal cancer and 

precancerous lesions than a fecal 

immunochemical test, according a 

team led by researchers at the Center 

for Innovation at Roudebush Veterans 

Affairs Medical Center in Indianapolis. 

However, multitarget stool DNA testing 

gives more false positives than fecal 

immunochemical testing. (New England 

Journal of Medicine, April 3, 2014)

For more information on VA studies 

on cancer and other key topics 

relating to Veterans’ health, please 

visit www.research.va.gov/topics

CANCER

Updated September 2016 • For a digital version of this fact sheet with active links to sources, visit www.research.va.gov/topics