More cancer projected in Iowa this year

Researchers project 17,400 new cancer diagnoses in Iowa this year — up from an estimated 16,600 last year, according to a new State Health Registry of Iowa report released Wednesday.

The number of Iowans expected to die from cancer this year, however, is projected to dip from the 2016 projection of 6,400 to 6,200 this year, according to the registry, located at the University of Iowa in the College of Public Health's Department of Epidemiology.

The researchers' annual projections are based on data from three years prior, due to the time it takes to collect and verify data on cancer incidences, treatments and outcomes, according to Mary Charlton, UI assistant professor of epidemiology.

'Last year, we projected the number of breast and colorectal cancer cases would continue to decline rapidly based on trends from previous years,' Charlton said in a statement. 'Unfortunately, more recent data has suggested a much slower decline, possibly due to an increase in risk factors such as obesity, as well as an aging population.'

The registry made adjustments to other cancer types, resulting in the increase in total number of expected cases.

'There remains a great need for continued research and initiatives surrounding cancer prevention, screening and treatment of cancer,' Charlton said in a statement.

John McGlothlen / The Gazette

The most prevalent type of cancer for females in Iowa is breast, with 2,300 cases expected this year, compared with 2,200 last year. The most common type of cancer for males in Iowa is prostate, with 1,500 cases expected this year, down 50 cases from last year's projection.

John McGlothlen / The Gazette

Lung cancer is expected to remain the most fatal for both sexes, with 740 women and 930 men expected to die from that type this year, according to the registry report.

Cancer and heart disease persist in killing the most Iowans annually. The 6,200 deaths expected in 2017 is 18 times the number of auto fatalities, according to the report.

The registry in 2017 is participating in more than 75 open studies, including an agricultural health study looking at agricultural exposures, like pesticides, and the relation to chronic disease, like cancer.

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