State of Iowa – A new study shows cancer rates in the Midwest are among the highest in the nation, and the number of cancer cases in Iowa is rising, while the state’s rate of cancer deaths is falling. Dr. Ben Parsons, a hematologist-oncologist at Gundersen Health System, says part of the reason for the rising numbers is lifestyle choices like alcohol and tobacco use, but obesity also plays a big role in cancer risk.
A report from the University of Iowa-based Iowa Cancer Registry estimates 21-thousand Iowans will be diagnosed with cancer this year, an increase from last year, while the projected number of Iowans who will die from cancer is falling. With Iowa being such a farm-focused state, Parsons says chemicals may also play a leading role in the rise in the state’s cancer cases.
Access to health care can also be a factor in cancer rates, and Parsons says some rural areas of Iowa are underserved.
He says some keys to staying healthy include getting annual physicals, keeping up with vaccines, and getting screened for various risks — like routine colonoscopies or mammograms. Plus, there’s exercise.
Gundersen Health System has clinics in Calmar, Decorah, Fayette, Lansing, Postville and Waukon, and a hospital in West Union.
