Report shows farming cancer risks

Iowa’s cancer rates are the second highest in the nation, with prostate, breast, lung cancer and melanoma being major contributors.

The Iowa Cancer Registry’s “Cancer in Iowa 2025” report showed Iowa has a high proportion of the population who are cancer survivors compared to other states. One in 20 Iowans have had a diagnosis of cancer in their lifetimes.

In the general population, the common cancers in Iowa are often attributable to lifestyle factors like diet, exercise, sun exposure and personal habits of smoking or drinking. However, it is clear that no one risk factor causes cancer, rather, it is a series of lifestyle, genetic and environmental factors that determine an individual’s cancer risk.

Since lung cancer causes the most cancer deaths in Iowa, prevention programs and earlier identification are important.

Dr. Mary Charlton, director of the Iowa Cancer Registry and president of the Iowa Cancer Consortium, said smoking and tobacco use cause approximately 80% of all lung cancer cases. Iowa receives an F rating from the American Lung Association every year for its low taxes on tobacco products and lack of funding for prevention programs, which has remained the same since 2007.

Charlton said raising the tax by at least a dollar is the most effective prevention measure against lung cancer.

The second leading cause of lung cancer is radon, so it is also important to test your home for radon and install a mitigation system.

Screening for lung cancer is widely available but under-used, she said. Only 17% of Iowans eligible for screenings are doing so. She said many rural hospitals are able perform the low-dose CT scan needed to test for lung cancer.

Dr. Laura Beane Freeman, an occupational and environmental epidemiologist and senior investigator at the National Cancer Institute, said farmers have lower drinking and smoking rates than the rest of the population. They are out in the fields, living active lifestyles that may be protective against cancer.