Maine Urologist's Important Research Published in
American Cancer Society's Journal 

Dr. Lars Ellison leads important study linking
Agent Orange and Prostate Cancer 

Troops exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War face a much greater risk of developing prostate cancer, according to a recent study led by Penobscot Bay Medical Center Urologist Lars Ellison.

The important findings, to be published in the journal Cancer, draw a clear link between Agent Orange exposure and higher incidence of prostate cancer, one of the leading causes of male cancer deaths in the U.S. 

Dr. Lars Ellison, the research team leader who serves as Staff Urologist at Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Rockport, urges all Vietnam vets who were exposed to Agent Orange to be vigilant about testing for the potentially deadly cancer. 

“We now know that exposed veterans need to understand that they face between a two and four fold risk of prostate cancer,” Dr. Ellison said. “They need to be very vigilant and ensure they are receiving the necessary screening tests – an annual rectal exam and a prostate-specific blood test called a PSA – in order to discover any disease early.” 

The team also discovered that the men who were exposed to Agent Orange and who did develop prostate cancer tended to develop a higher-grade (more aggressive) disease. These men also had increased rates of advanced stage disease at the time of diagnosis. 

The study sample was comprised of more than 13,000 male veterans of the Vietnam War, of which roughly half were exposed to Agent Orange while the remainder had no documented risk of exposure. All subjects were patients receiving treatment through the VA in northern California, where Dr. Ellison was serving as the Chief of Urology at a VA Medical Center in Sacramento . 

Throughout the Vietnam War, more than 20 million gallons of the chemical defoliant Agent Orange were sprayed over the dense jungles in effort to limit cover for enemy forces. Consequently, thousands of U.S. troops were exposed to the chemical and now, as many reach their 60s, the carcinogenic effects are becoming clear. 

Prostate cancer attacks the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. The cancer develops most frequently in men over age 50, and is the most common type of cancer of men in the U.S., where it is responsible for more male deaths than any other cancer except lung cancer. Prostate cancer is most often discovered by physical examination or by screening blood tests, such as the PSA (prostate specific antigen) test.  

A native New Englander and Camden, Maine resident, Dr. Lars Ellison joined Penobscot Bay Medical Center in 2007 as Staff Urologist. Prior to joining Pen Bay, he served as Chief of Urology at the VA Northern California Health Care System in Sacramento, California and Assistant Professor and Director of Laparoscopic Surgery at the University of California, Davis. He received a medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine, and did his urology training at Dartmouth and Johns Hopkins. He holds a master's from the University of Sheffield, England, and a bachelor's degree from St. Lawrence University, New York.

Ellison is a Major in the U.S. Army Reserve and is on active duty from July through September 2008 in the Iraq theater of operations.