The Board found no relationship between the veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx and in-service exposure to herbicides, and denied service connection for this condition.
The deciding factor: There is no evidence linking the veteran's squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx to his military service, including any potential exposure to herbicides. The Board concluded that the cancer was not related to service.
- Claimed conditions
- squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 13, 2004
- Citation
- 0401177
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 1,458 · Granted: 24% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 0401177.
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Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to a duty-to-assist error, requiring an addendum opinion from an appropriate clinician to determine the nature and etiology of the Veteran's claimed residuals of squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx, finding that it is related to presumed herbicide agent exposure during active duty service. The decision is based on medical opinions and evidence from a study showing higher rates of oral cavity and pharynx cancer in Korean and Australian Vietnam veterans.
- Granted
The Board has granted service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx and base of the tongue, finding that it is etiologically related to the Veteran's service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with tobacco and alcohol use disorders.
- Denied
The Board denied service connection for squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx as due to exposure to herbicides, finding that the Veteran's cancer was more likely related to his smoking history rather than Agent Orange exposure.
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