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Covered cancers

What cancers qualify for RECA?

A downwinder claim requires a diagnosis of one of these diseases. In plain terms, the covered list is:

  • Leukemia (except chronic lymphocytic leukemia, called CLL)
  • Multiple myeloma
  • Lymphoma (except Hodgkin's disease)
  • Primary cancers of the: thyroid, breast (men and women), esophagus, stomach, pharynx (throat), small intestine, pancreas, bile ducts, gall bladder, salivary gland, urinary bladder, brain, colon, ovary, lung, and liver (unless cirrhosis or Hepatitis B is indicated)

What "primary" means

The cancer must have started in one of the listed organs. For example, a cancer that began in the colon and later spread to the liver counts as colon cancer — a covered disease.

Common questions

Prostate cancer is not on the list. Why?

Congress set the list, and prostate cancer and some others (like most skin cancers and CLL) are not included. If the person also had one of the covered cancers, a claim can still be filed based on that diagnosis.

Does the person need to be sick right now?

No. A cancer diagnosed and treated decades ago still qualifies. What matters is that the diagnosis happened after the exposure period.

How do we prove the diagnosis?

Medical records, pathology reports, or death certificates listing the cancer. For many Idaho patients, the Cancer Data Registry of Idaho already has the record — the claim form includes a checkbox letting the Department of Justice request it directly. Records that are decades old can usually still be found; we can help.

The death certificate just says "cancer." Is that enough?

Usually more detail is needed, but hospitals, doctors' offices, and the state cancer registry often have the specific records. Do not give up based on the death certificate alone.

Proving the diagnosis is usually easier than proving 1950s residency. See our residency proof guide for the harder part.

Not sure if this applies to your family?

No sign-up, no records required to start.

Take the free 2-minute eligibility check

Last updated July 2026.

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