Iowa continues to have one of the highest rates of new cancer diagnoses in the country, according to the annual Cancer in Iowa report by the Iowa Cancer Registry.
Iowa remains second in the nation, behind Kentucky, for the rate of new cancers, according to the report's age-adjusted data.
The report, which tracks cancer trends, estimated 21,200 Iowans will be diagnosed with cancer this year, while around 6,300 people will die from the disease. Breast, prostate and lung cancers are predicted to be the most common types of cancer diagnoses, making up around 40% percent of new cases.
But while Iowa's new cancer rates remain high, researchers said so are its rates of cancer survivorship.
The report estimated 21,200 Iowans will be diagnosed with cancer this year, while around 6,300 people will die from the disease.
How do cancer survivor rates in Iowa compare to other states?
Iowa is second to just Connecticut when it comes to surviving cancer, said Sarah Nash, an assistant professor of epidemiology in the University of Iowa College of Public Health.
One reason is because Iowa has high rates of breast and prostate cancers, which have long survival times, Nash said. Iowans who have had breast, prostate and colorectal cancers make up about half of the 171,535 people who are living with or have previously had cancer in the state, she said.
"Given a high and increasing rate of new cancers, coupled with a declining cancer mortality, we anticipate the number of cancer survivors in Iowa will continue to grow substantially over time —meaning that survivorship care is going to continue to grow in importance to our population," Nash said.
Another reason is that advancements in treatments means cancer patients are living longer, said Richard Deming, the medical director of the MercyOne Cancer Center.
"Chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy has evolved to the point that... over two-thirds of patients are surviving for more than five years," he said.
But those who live with the disease long term or go into remission often face a long list of physical, mental and social challenges, including fears of reoccurrence, body dysphoria and sexual health issues, as well as financial strain and interpersonal relationship issues. There is limited support for these issues patients experience, Deming said.
"Once a patient has been determined to be cancer free, they often receive less personal attention from their cancer providers," he said. "That's unfortunate."
Why are Iowa's cancer rates so high?
Researchers have said it's unclear why Iowa's cancer rates remain some of the highest in the country.
Last year's Cancer in Iowa report highlighted alcohol's role in causing cancer. The state has one of highest binge drinking rates in the country.
A growing body of research has linked even moderate amounts of drinking to cancer, promoting former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to call for an update on alcohol's warning labels in January.
In her Condition of the State address this year, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced a partnership between the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services and the University of Iowa to research the "behavioral, genetic and environmental factors" that could be behind Iowa's cancer rates. She called on the Legislature to designate $1 million to the initiative.
Deming said 45% of all cancers in the U.S. are caused by "modifiable risk factors."
"Things that we have control over, such as tobacco, obesity, the type of food we eat, physical activity, alcohol consumption, whether or not you get an HPV vaccination, radon, environmental chemicals," he said.
Are federal funding cuts impacting cancer research?
But researchers expressed concern at Tuesday's news conference over the future of cancer research in Iowa and how that could affect its survivability rates amid proposed cuts to research grants and staff layoffs at public health agencies at the federal level by the Trump administration.
The Trump administration proposed capping indirect cost payments under National Institute of Health grants to 15%, a move researchers say would severely cut the amount of funding they could put towards their work. A federal judge put that policy change on hold temporarily while a lawsuit challenging it moves forward.
"The indirect [funding] is providing the resources for the institution — for heat, lights, equipment, space, people to oversee the human subjects research that we need to do in a safe way," said Mark Burkard, the director of the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at University of Iowa Health Care.
He said that's thrown a lot of uncertainty into cancer research plans.
"If the cancer funding is cut substantially, as has been proposed, then how are we going to do the research? How are we going to provide the resources?"Mark Burkard, director of the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at University of Iowa Health Care.
"If the cancer funding is cut substantially, as has been proposed, then how are we going to do the research? How are we going to provide the resources?" Burkard said.
Deming, who is also the vice president of the Iowa Cancer Consortium, said two weeks ago, one of the organization's federally-funded employees was fired amid the wave of probationary federal government employees who have been laid off under the new Trump administration.
He said he feels MercyOne Cancer Center's clinical trials for cancer are also under threat. They have more than 60 trials currently underway.
"Just two weeks ago, one of them was closed. It happened to be a clinical trial that was looking at special needs of LGBTQ community, and we were just told it's closed," Deming said.
