Military Aviation Cancers
Background
Early field work on cancers affecting the veteran military aviation community began with anecdotal data collected by the late retired Commander Tom “Boot” Hill. Tom focused on cancer occurrence among naval aviators at NAS China Lake, CA, and also, the Navy F-14 community. Tom’s work, while not conventional science, successfully framed the issue: cancer clusters within the Navy. Tara Copp, a reporter covering US defense issues, spoke about her familiarity with Tom’s work in this PBS interview.
Before founding VFEA, many of our board members worked alongside other veteran organizations, such as the Red River Valley Association, in organizing a response to Tom’s and Tara’s work. Today, VFEA actively supports efforts for continued research into the likely causes of cancers among the veteran aviation community.
Navy A-6 Intruder pilot Jim Seaman with Squadron VA-185 (Nighthawks) on the USS Midway (1988). Navy Capt. Jim Seaman died of lung cancer at the age of 61.
Initial Studies
Cancer occurrence in veteran military aircrews follows a familiar pattern of diagnosis in the years following military service. Until the Air Force agreed to study cancer occurrence and released its study in May 2021, no branch of the US armed services had conducted a cancer study among its flyers.
So, it was a landmark event when the Air Force concluded in its cancer study that its aircrews had significantly elevated rates of melanoma, prostate, and testicular cancers along with high rates of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The importance of this study was that the science and medicine confirmed the experiences of thousands of Veteran aircrew members who successfully beat cancer, were battling cancer, or saw others lose their cancer fight.
As the Air Force began its study, Betty and Vince worked alongside the late Tom Hill and others to advocate to members of Congress to direct the Department of Defense to perform a much wider study of cancer diagnosis and mortality among all military aviators. This effort produced Section 750 of the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act.
Upon passage of the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act by the US Congress, the Department of Defense assigned study responsibility to the Defense Health Agency. In important ways, the larger campaign to raise Congressional awareness with aviator cancer continued in the absence of the findings from the Department of Defense.
In March 2023, the Department of Defense publicly released the findings of its military aviation cancer study. The findings of this study corroborated the Air Force study and added a new cancer, thyroid cancer, to the list of common cancers faced by Veteran flyers. Moreover, the Department of Defense found that Veteran aircrew members face a 24% increased probability of cancer at all body sites.
With the completion of the Department of Defense aviator cancer study, the broader effort to draw attention to Veteran military flyer cancer transitioned from a question to a statement.
However, the Phase 1A study had notable gaps and limitations, particularly regarding the lack of cancer data on veterans and members of the Reserve and National Guard. To address these gaps, a supplementary Phase 1B study was conducted that included health data from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and 41 state cancer registries, providing a more comprehensive analysis of cancer rates among military personnel. In May of 2024, the Phase 1B report was released:
Compared to a demographically similar U.S. population, aircrew had a combined 15 percent higher rate of cancer for all sites, including a 75 percent higher rate of melanoma, 31 percent higher rate of thyroid cancer, and 20 percent higher rate of prostate cancer.
The median age at diagnosis for malignant cancer (all sites) was 55 in aircrew and 54 in ground crew, compared to 67 in the U.S. reference population—marking a 12–13 year earlier onset of cancers in military aviators.
DoD Study
Next Steps
The aviator cancer advocacy effort is moving into its next phase—shifting from confirming the problem to identifying its causes. The evidence is now clear: military aviators face elevated cancer risks. The focus now is on understanding why.
Two major studies are currently underway:
Section 750 (FY21 NDAA) Phase 2 Study – A Department of Defense (DoD) effort focused on identifying causes and informing future prevention and mitigation strategies.
Aviator Cancer Examination Study (ACES) Act – A study designed to improve how the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) detects, treats, and supports affected veterans.
Both studies are in early stages and are expected to be fully underway by Spring 2026, with findings likely taking 2–3 years.
While each study serves a different purpose, together they will shape the future of how aviator-related cancers are understood and addressed:
DoD (Sec. 750 Study): Focused on prevention and risk reduction.
VA (ACES Act): Focused on care, diagnosis, and long-term support.
Why This Matters
For advocates, these studies are critical to achieving long-standing goals:
Enhanced cancer screening tailored to the unique exposures of military aviators
Leadership in advanced cancer detection technologies within DoD and VA
Reducing cancer rates among military aircrew will require new approaches, better tools, and sustained leadership. These studies are the foundation for that change—and a major step toward protecting current and future aviators.