For many veterans who served, the risks of military life do not stop once they return home. Toxic exposures encountered during service like burn pits, contaminated water, chemical agents, and more can increase someone’s risk of cancer for years afterward.1 This is an everyday reality for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Each year, about 56,000 veterans are diagnosed with cancer.2 In fact, certain veterans may be ~24% more likely to develop cancer than the general population.3
Behind this considerable number of people affected is a different story for each veteran. Caring for cancer in this population means thinking beyond a single test or appointment. It means building a full care continuum and considering the veteran across an entire journey, from risk awareness to detection, diagnosis, and treatment.
Why Comprehensive Care Matters for Veterans
Standard cancer screening has been crucial in helping a broad range of people, but it only covers a handful of cancers.4 The challenge with this is that a large number of cancer deaths come from those that have no routine screening at all.5† For veterans, whose exposures raise their risk for cancers like bladder, kidney, and liver, that unmet need is even more apparent.6-8 Many of these cancers are only found in later stages once symptoms appear, making the disease harder to treat.
When it comes to overarching care, acknowledging this gap is important when determining a veteran’s full risk, rather than relying on individual tests alone. Instead of focusing solely on the standard cancer screening process, factoring in a veteran’s service history, exposure history, and overall risk will help inform how vigilant to be. This added layer of care can help inform decisions better and keep certain cancer risks at top of mind.
New Tools Shaping Early Detection
New tools are expanding what early detection can look like. Multi-cancer early detection blood tests, such as the Cancerguard® test, screen for signals across multiple types of cancer, including several with no routine screening today.9 The test gathers results all from a single blood draw.
This multi-cancer early detection test is meant to complement recommended screening rather than replace it. Veterans should still continue standard screening as advised. Additionally, a result is not meant to be a diagnosis but a signal for next steps. For example, a positive signal calls for follow-up imaging and clinical evaluation to confirm and locate cancer.‡ The use of these tests can help expand cancer detection capabilities. This could allow care teams to make treatment decisions sooner and may help reduce the burden of late-stage disease.10 Modeling of the Cancerguard test even pointed to a 51% reduction in stage 4 cancer incidence and a 23% reduction in cancer-related mortality over 10 years when used alongside current screening.10* This is only a glimpse of what earlier detection can do.
Coordinated Care After Detection
Detecting cancer is only one part of a care continuum. What drives better outcomes is the coordinated care around a veteran’s journey through accessible testing, clear communication so veterans understand what a result means, and strong care navigation to guide patients through their next steps. Support in the event of a positive test would mean arranging follow up imaging, connecting veterans to specialists, and easing the worry that can follow a cancer diagnosis.
For the care teams working with the VA, the goal is to add this capability without adding complexity. Integration with electronic medical record systems, straightforward ordering, in-depth clinical workflows, and decision-making resources help health care providers offer more while keeping the experience straightforward for patients.
Extending Veteran Care
Veterans have already risked a lot to serve our country. Extending that care after service means addressing the risks that can outlast that service through the overarching scope of their health. This means being there every step of the journey. Layering early detection on top of standard screening, alongside clear navigation, is a way care teams can honor that commitment.
© 2026 Abbott. All rights reserved.
Cancerguard® is a registered trademark of the Abbott group of companies.
Information presented is not clinical, diagnostic, or treatment advice for any particular patient. Providers should use their clinical judgement and experience when deciding how to diagnose or treat patients. Exact Sciences does not recommend or endorse any particular course of treatment or medical choice.
* Modeling data assumes perfect uptake and adherence
† Cancers that have guideline-recommended screening include breast, cervical, colorectal, and lung (high risk).
‡ False negative results can occur. A false negative means the test did not identify a cancer signal, but cancer is present.
‡ False positive results can occur. A false positive means the test identified a cancer signal, but cancer isn’t present.
References: 1. American Cancer Society. Military burn pits and cancer risk. Accessed August 20, 2026. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/risk-prevention/chemicals/burn-pits.html. 2. US Department of Veterans Affairs. VA National Oncology Program: frequently asked questions (FAQs). Accessed April 24, 2026. https://www.cancer.va.gov/CANCER/faqs.html. 3. PHASE 1-a – Study on the Incidence of Cancer Diagnosis and Mortality Among Military Aviators and Aviation Support Personnel. US Department of Defense; 2023. 4. USPSTF. A & B Recommendations. Accessed August 20, 2026. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation-topics/uspstf-a-and-b-recommendations. 5. Data on file. Cancers without USPSTF recommended screening, 2026. Medical Affairs, Abbott; Madison, WI. 6. Zullig LL, Smith VA, Jackson GL, et al. Colorectal cancer statistics from the Veterans Affairs Central Cancer Registry. Clin Colorectal Cancer. 2016;15(4):e199-e204. doi:10.1016/j.clcc.2016.04.005. 7. Zullig LL, Jackson GL, Dorn RA, et al. Cancer incidence among patients of the United States Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System. Mil Med. 2012;177(6):693-701. 8. Jackson JM, Wu EL, Brody L, Maxwell JH. Predictors of survival in veterans with head and neck cancer treated surgically. J Laparoendosc Adv Surg Tech. 2023;33(6):566-569. doi:10.1089/lap.2023.0057. 9. Cancerguard clinician brochure. Exact Sciences Corporation. Madison, WI. 10. Xiao J, ElHabr AK, Tyson C, Cao X, et al. The impact of multi-cancer early detection tests on cancer mortality: A 10-year microsimulation model. medRxiv. May 6, 2026. doi:10.64898/2026.05.05.26351205.
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