Linn County Public Health and the Iowa Cancer Consortium held a 99 Counties Project Thursday, May 29, where the results of Linn County’s cancer rates were provided.
Pramod Divedi, Linn County Public Health director, spoke before the presentation of data about the importance of the research.
“we are here with a purpose to confront a crisis that touches every family, community and every area in the 99 counties in Iowa,” Divedi said. “Iowa ranks second in cancer cases. That’s not a podium we want to be standing on.”
Behind every statistic, Divedi said, is the story of a neighbor, co-worker, friend or loved one impacted by this disease for someone.
Professor Mary Charlton of the Iowa Cancer Registry said the only state with a rising cancer rate currently is Utah, and their rate is much lower than Iowa’s, whereas Iowa has not decreased and keeps increasing.
Cancer, Charlton also said, is very complicated.
“There’s not just one thing causing cancer in Iowa,” Charlton said. “There are no huge hot spots, no towns all getting cancer. It’s a complex disease, where lifestyle and exposure impacts your risks.”
In Linn County, there are roughly 1,391 new cancer cases in the county per year. The cancer rate is higher in non-hispanic black individuals, but non-hispanic whites are also higher than the nation average. Linn County also saw 414 people die due to cancer per year.
The top cancers in the county include breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, melanoma and colorectal cancer. Only colorectal cancer is the one without a rate higher than a national average.
Breast cancer has roughly 204 new cases per year, and sees higher rates in white individuals. There are 24 deaths to breast cancer per year.
Ways to mitigate breast cancer include more physical activity, eating healthy foods, avoiding excessive weights, decreasing alcohol consumption and controlling hormones.
Charlton said that capturing the cancer early, via screening, helps with people surviving the cancer, as it’s caught before it spreads further in the body.
Prostate cancer sees roughly 201 cases per year, with rates higher in non-hispanic blacks. There are 20 deaths to prostate cancer per year.
Ways to mitigate prostate cancer include eating healthy foods, decreasing alcohol consumption, reducing smoking and limits to chemical exposures. It’s also important to get screenings between 55 to 69 or starting at age 45 if you’re known as a high risk.
Lung cancer has 174 new cases in the county per year. With 104 deaths per year, it is one of the leading cancer deaths in the state.
Charlton said the most important thing for mitigation aside from reducing smoking is testing your home for radon. If you suspect you may have lung cancer, get screened.
“One of the reasons our mortality rate is so high in this cancer is we’re capturing it in a late stage, as opposed to an early state,” Charlton said. “That makes it harder to treat.”
Melanoma has 93 new cases per year in Linn County, and contributes to roughly nine deaths per year.
Mitigating cancer risks for melanoma includes wearing sunscreen, longsleeves, hats, sitting in the shade and avoiding sun exposure from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“This is one of those cancers people catch very early and has a great survival rate,” Charlton said.
When it comes to noticing a skin lesion that may be cancerous, Charlton recommended keeping in mind of the ABCDE of any skin spot – a is asymmetrical in shape, b is for the border, c is for color, d is for diameter, e is for the evolving size of it.
Colorectal cancer rounds out Linn County’s top five cancers, with 90 cases. There are an average of 34 deaths per year. Mitigating cancer risks for colorectal cancer includes being physically active, eating healthy foods, reducing alcohol use, reducing excessive body weight, reducing tobacco use. Getting screened early also helps, be that a take home test or a colonoscopy.
Charlton said one big thing to note is that the human papilloma virus vaccination has a high chance of reducing cancers. Iowa is seeing an increase in those cancers.
One of the biggest policy successes the state has seen is the passage of the last tobacco tax in 2007 helped decrease smoking in 92 percent of Iowa’s counties.
Charlton said areas that could be addressed to help reduce multiple cancers is to reduce the amount of binge drinking that occurs.
Charlton said that Iowa, despite it’s rising cancer rates, has a cancer plan that is the envy of the country, due to the amount of input and leadership contributing to it.
The 99 counties discussion is only supposed to be the first step for individuals in the county, and lead to further discussions.
“Every community is different, and your expertise as an individual is what is going to work for the best in your community,” Charlton said.
The key takeaways for the presentation – cancer is an important health issue facing the county, there are proven ways to prevent cancer and detect it early, Iowa has a strong cancer plan, and policy changes at the local and state level can have a huge impact.
Some questions asked about why there is not a stance against agricultural issues that may be causing cancer.
Charlton said that the Iowa Cancer Registry is just that, a registry collecting information on cancer infections and death in the state. They are not an advocacy organization. They provide their data to others.
A question asked as well about why comorbidities are not reflected in the death rate.
Charlton said they get the medical record following a death, and not all death certificates have a complete listing of comorbidities.