Brain Cancer Affecting Young Military Veterans in the US

PTSD and traumatic brain injuries are the primary indications affecting veterans, with almost 500,000 troops living with these diseases. However, thousands more have also been diagnosed as having illnesses that may be connected to toxic waste and environmental hazards.

Hundreds of veterans are fighting glioblastoma, with some succumbing to the fatal disease. Glioblastoma is a common and aggressive type of cancer affecting the brain. It occurs in an individual’s spinal cord or brain. Research done on veterans and military personnel to determine why glioblastoma rates are higher in the active-duty population in comparison to the population in general haven’t produced any conclusive results.

After colon cancer and leukemia, glioblastoma ranks as the third most frequent cause of cancer-linked deaths in this particular population. Figures show that rates of glioblastoma in post-9/11 military veterans who were deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, among other places, is more than 25% higher than that in the overall population. According to the National Institutes of Health, the occurrence of glioblastoma within the population is about 3.2 cases in every 100,000 individuals, with 64 being the average age of onset.

However, data from the Department of Veterans Affairs shows that the frequency of this brain cancer averages at 5.2 cases in every 100,000 people annually from 2015 to 2019, among post-9/11 veterans who have VA health care and were deployed. This is alarming as almost one-half of the population is made up of individuals aged 30 to 39. Data from the department also shows that the figures among Persian Gulf and Vietnam veterans are also elevated, at 6.2 cases for every 100,000 people annually from 2015 to 2019.

The department automatically grants benefits to service members diagnosed with brain cancer while on duty as well as veterans who were exposed to radiation while on active duty or those who develop the ailment within one year of being discharged. All other veterans have to file a compensation claim for disability, with stats showing that since 2002, more than 10,000 veterans suffering from brain cancer or the surviving family members of military veterans from as far back in the Persian Gulf, Vietnam and post-9/11 military missions have filed claims.

In an interview, the VA revealed that the rate at which claims are approved was about 31% for veterans of the Gulf-war period while that of post-9/11 military veterans was better, at 57%. Many hope that claiming benefits for brain cancer will get easier after an announcement made by the VA last year that it would review if various cancers needed to be fast-tracked for disability benefits. If this happens, more military veterans could stand a chance of benefiting from the brain cancer treatments commercialized by entities such as CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP).

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to CNS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNSP) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/CNSP

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