{"package_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-00126","decision_granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-00126-0","petitioner_identifier":"Timothy Yannacone","is_minor":0,"age_at_vaccination":65.0,"age_unit_raw":"years","vaccine_type":"influenza","vaccination_date":"2018-09-13","condition_raw":"primary cutaneous leiomyosarcoma","condition_category":"other","autism_spectrum_adjacent":0,"outcome":"denied","award_amount_usd":null,"decision_date":"2024-03-18","extraction_version":"gemini-v2","extracted_at":"2026-04-30T01:23:43.680725+00:00","number_of_concurrent_vaccines":1,"dose_number":null,"time_to_onset_days":26,"theory_of_causation":"Off-Table","is_death":0,"date_of_death":null,"petition_filed_date":"2021-01-06","case_summary":"Timothy Yannacone, a 65-year-old man, filed a petition for compensation under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, alleging that he developed primary cutaneous leiomyosarcoma after receiving an influenza vaccine on September 13, 2018. Mr. Yannacone had a history of various medical conditions and skin lesions, including prior cancerous skin removals. Approximately one month after vaccination, he reported a pustule at the injection site, which was later diagnosed as a leiomyosarcoma. Petitioner's expert, Dr. Kyle Amber, proposed that trauma from the vaccine injection, combined with local inflammatory responses and the petitioner's predisposition, could have triggered the cancer. Respondent's experts, Drs. Emanual Maverakis and Stephen Hedrick, argued that the vaccine is administered into skeletal muscle, while leiomyosarcomas arise from smooth muscle, making a direct causal link unlikely. They also contended that the inflammatory response from a vaccine is too transient to cause cancer and that the case reports cited by the petitioner were distinguishable. The court found that the petitioner failed to establish a medically acceptable theory of causation, a logical sequence of cause and effect, or a proximate temporal relationship. The court noted that the evidence did not sufficiently support the theory that the flu vaccine could cause leiomyosarcoma, either through direct trauma or immune stimulation, and that the temporal proximity alone was insufficient. Therefore, Timothy Yannacone was denied entitlement to compensation.","is_minor_inferred":0,"is_pediatric_broad":0,"special_master":"Brian H. Corcoran","petitioner_identifier_original":null,"caption_petitioner_name":"Timothy Yannacone","petitioner_attorney_name":"Ronald Craig Homer","petitioner_attorney_firm":"Conway Homer, P.C.","petitioner_attorney_location":"Boston, MA","adjudicator_name":null,"caption_people_backfilled_at":"2026-05-05 23:44:05","attorney_canonical_keys":"|ronald-homer|","firm_canonical_key":"conway-homer","package_title":"YANNACONE v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","canonical_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-00126","plain_text_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-00126.txt","json_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/case/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-00126.json","source_documents":[{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-00126-0","title":"YANNACONE v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 2/22/2024) regarding 62 DECISION of Special Master. Signed by Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran. (ag) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2024-03-18","pdf_url":"https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-00126/granules/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-00126-0/pdf","pdf_bytes":488520,"triage_decision":"keep","triage_reason":"docketText matches keep keyword 'decision of special master'","download_status":"ok","registry_pdf_url":"https://vicp-registry.org/pdf/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-00126/USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-00126-0"},{"granule_id":"USCOURTS-cofc-1_21-vv-00126-1","title":"YANNACONE v. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES","docket_text":"PUBLIC DECISION (Originally filed: 10/02/2024) regarding 70 DECISION of Special Master - Fees Signed by Chief Special Master Brian H. Corcoran. (af) Service on parties made.","date_issued":"2024-10-29","pdf_url":null,"pdf_bytes":null,"triage_decision":"skip","triage_reason":"fees-only decision (attorney compensation)","download_status":"skipped"}]}