 | Author(s) | | | Marwick C |
| Publication | | | British Journal of Medicine |
| Reference | | | 326:242 |
| Publication Date | | | 2003 |
|  | This paper reviews recently published evidence showing that a committee of the US institute of Medicine found a positive association between exposure to herbicides used as defoliants during the Vietnam war and the risk of developing chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL).
Earlier reports linked Hodgkin’s disease (HD) and Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL).
As the paper states both CLL and lymphomas originate from malignant B cells this led to the further investigation.
The assessment is based on evidence from 6 studies looking at the incidence of cancer amongst agricultural workers exposed to herbicides. The results showed an increase in CLL in those occupations using herbicides that were used in Vietnam.
The defoliant used in the Vietnam War was known as Agent Orange due to the colour of drums in which it was stored.
This is a useful paper for all practitioners increasing our knowledge in environmental factors, which predispose to cancer.
Comment by: Tracey Burgoyne, Lecturer Practitioner Cancer Care, University of Central England Birmingham, 2004.
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