Iowa must focus on high cancer rates

Iowa received its troubling diagnosis in February.

Iowa Cancer Registry data revealed that Iowa has the second-highest cancer incidence rate in the nation, and it is the only state with a rising rate of cancer.

Since then, health experts across Iowa have been contemplating ideas to address that stunning revelation. On of them is Dr. Michael Henry, who studies prostate cancer at the University of Iowa.

“I think some state-level support would be helpful, particularly in the area of prevention and screening,” Henry said during a panel discussion at last week’s Iowa Ideas Conference.

Henry contends access to colonoscopies and other cancer screening procedures is lacking in rural areas. Couple that with Iowans who skipped recommended scheduled screening during the pandemic, and cancer prevention efforts have suffered.

“As I’ve traveled along to look at cancer centers in other states, there is often more support for prevention and screening efforts, Henry said. “Because you can really have a big effect at the population level on those sorts of efforts. And that would bend our numbers, I think, further down from what we started talking about here.”

Henry proposes bringing screening to where Iowans live.

“Some states actually support mobile screening,” Henry said. “In a state like ours, where distances matter, that’s something that might bring the screening access to people where they live rather than having them to come to a different area.”

Funding for mobile screening should be a priority for the Iowa Legislature, among other cancer-fighting measures. Lawmakers failed to react to the bad news in February. But what could be a more important public policy initiative than helping Iowans avoid or deal with a cancer diagnosis?

Dr. Richard Deming, medical director of the Richard Deming Cancer Center in Deda Moines, said an even bolder policy change is needed.

“I’ll just throw out that having health Care as one of the rights of being in the United States would be a huge improvement,” Deming said. “Iowa once led the way providing public education K-12. There was a time in the country when it was not automatically assumed the government was going to provide education for everyone.

“I think we’re at a time where providing health care to everyone would be a huge advancement in the health of this country,” Deming said.

All these measures, big and small, should be considered.

“The best type of cancer is the one you never get,” Henry said.

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