Many veterans enter retirement expecting peace, yet thousands instead face mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer often detected too late for effective treatment.
Because this disease is frequently misdiagnosed, the country needs a national mesothelioma registry to improve the tracking, diagnosis, and management of cases.
30% of mesothelioma cases in the U.S. each year affect veterans, who comprise 6% of American adults. That is because, for decades, the military relied heavily on asbestos in its infrastructure and equipment.
Misdiagnosis remains a major barrier to early detection. Estimates indicate that 14% to 50% of cases are initially misdiagnosed. Mesothelioma typically manifests 15 to 40 years after asbestos exposure, and its vague symptoms, such as fatigue, fever, and weight loss, make it difficult for clinicians to identify it accurately. These symptoms overlap with far more common illnesses like pneumonia, bronchitis, and influenza.
From 1999 to 2017, Colorado recorded 3,214 asbestos-related deaths, including 594 from mesothelioma. Montezuma County lost 15 residents during the same period. With more than 332,000 veterans statewide, many served at facilities where asbestos was present, including Fort Carson, and the Pueblo Chemical Depot.
A national mesothelioma registry, built from existing Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense data, would identify veterans at risk and provide physicians with essential exposure histories. We can’t treat what we can’t track, and a registry is the critical step toward giving veterans the care they deserve.
Jonathan Sharp
Birmingham, Alabama
