A lawyer for a military veteran says at a trial Monday that his client's now-terminal prostate cancer would have been curable had the Veterans Administration in Phoenix diagnosed his illness sooner. A trial is set to begin Monday in a lawsuit by a military veteran who alleges his now-terminal prostate cancer would have been curable had the Veterans Administration hospital in Phoenix discovered his illness sooner. Lawyers defending the VA say the nurse practitioner's examination didn't turn up indications of cancer and that Cooper didn't complain of urinary symptoms during the appointment.