University of Iowa researchers have released phase one of their search to identify some of the reasons Iowa has the second highest rate of newly diagnosed cancers in the United States. The group examined demographic factors and behaviors like smoking and binge drinking — and found Iowa has similar demographic factors to Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Dakotas and Nebraska. Iowa Cancer Registry Director Mary Charlton (CHARL-tun) says Iowa’s cancer rate — however — is slightly higher than the region’s. “I did want to call out our incidence rates for lung cancer. This is one cancer for which we are not like our neighbors,” she said. “We have a higher rate…and the difference seems to be widening and unfortunately this plays out into lung cancer having a higher mortality rate in Iowa than in our neighboring states.” Breast cancer, skin cancer and prostate cancer have been increasing more steeply in Iowa since 2013.
