Agent Orange Linked to MDS Blood Cancer in New Study Decades After Vietnam War

Research published in Blood Advances in March 2026 establishes clear evidence linking Agent Orange exposure during the Vietnam War to myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a blood cancer that develops earlier and more aggressively in exposed individuals. The eight-year study through the MDS Natural History Study enrolled patients from 160 U.S. sites and found that 54% of Agent Orange-exposed participants developed MDS or precursor conditions versus 37% of unexposed participants, with exposed individuals showing more complex genetic mutations and disease progression. Despite the findings, the Department of Veterans Affairs does not recognize MDS as presumptively linked to Agent Orange as of March 2026, forcing veterans to individually prove service connection for benefits. Black veterans face three times higher likelihood of Agent Orange exposure compared to white veterans, suggesting disproportionate health impacts. Lead researcher Mikkael Sekeres hopes the study will enable aging veterans to access disability compensation and treatment as MDS progresses to life-threatening stages requiring transfusions.

Link Between Agent Orange Exposure and MDS Blood Cancer

• ▪American soldiers sprayed Agent Orange over the jungles of Vietnam and nearby countries from the air and from the ground during the Vietnam War
• ▪Agent Orange exposure can cause earlier and more aggressive myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) disease
• ▪Agent Orange is a blend of herbicides that the U.S. military used to peel back dense foliage during the Vietnam War
• ▪Monsanto and Dow Chemical produced herbicides used in Agent Orange
• ▪Research published in Blood Advances in March 2026 provided clear evidence that Agent Orange exposure is linked to myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)
• ▪American soldiers often mixed Agent Orange with kerosene or fuel to help disperse it during the Vietnam War

Study Methodology and Key Findings

• ▪The Agent Orange and MDS study was conducted through the MDS Natural History Study over almost a decade
• ▪Black veterans in the MDS Natural History Study had three times the likelihood of Agent Orange exposure compared to white veterans
• ▪Mikkael Sekeres is the chief of hematology at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami
• ▪Among those exposed to Agent Orange in the MDS Natural History Study, 54% were eventually found to have MDS or a precursor condition
• ▪Six percent of people enrolled in the MDS Natural History Study had exposure to Agent Orange
• ▪The MDS Natural History Study enrolled patients from 160 sites around the United States

Implications for Veterans' Benefits and Healthcare Access

• ▪Mikkael Sekeres hopes the Agent Orange and MDS research will enable aging veterans to receive disability compensation
• ▪The Department of Veterans Affairs does not recognize MDS as presumptively linked to Agent Orange as of March 2026
• ▪The Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes several cancers as linked to Agent Orange, which qualifies veterans with those specific conditions to receive benefits

Perspective of Mikkael Sekeres and researchers

• ▪Mikkael Sekeres and his research team believe their study provides the evidence needed to establish MDS as presumptively linked to Agent Orange

Perspective of Vietnam veterans with MDS

• ▪Veterans with MDS must individually prove a direct service connection between Agent Orange exposure and their disease to receive Department of Veterans Affairs benefits

Perspective of Department of Veterans Affairs

• ▪The Department of Veterans Affairs has not yet updated its presumptive conditions list to include MDS despite the March 2026 research findings
• ▪The Department of Veterans Affairs maintains a list of specific cancers presumptively linked to Agent Orange that automatically qualify veterans for benefits

Perspective of Black Vietnam veterans

• ▪Black veterans experienced significantly higher rates of Agent Orange exposure during the Vietnam War compared to their white counterparts