2025 Cancer in Iowa Report released, state continues to have second-highest rate in nation

IOWA CITY – The Iowa Cancer Registry released their annual report for 2025, and things are looking bleak in Iowa, where we have the second highest age-adjusted rate of new cancers diagnosed and is one of only two states with a rising age-adjusted rate of new cancers.

The report notes Iowa continues to have the second-highest rate of newly diagnosed cancers, when adjusted for differences in age among U.S. states. More than one in 20 people in Iowa have had a diagnosis of cancer at some point in their lives, the report states. That ratio will continue to rise as Iowa’s rate of new cancer rises while the rate of cancer deaths declines, the report authors say.

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Iowa continues to have the second highest age-adjusted rate of new cancers diagnosed and is one of only two states with a rising age-adjusted rate of new cancers. At the same time, improvements in detecting and treating cancer, as well as supportive services, have contributed to declining cancer mortality (death) rates.

Combined, this results in an increasing number of cancer survivors, defined as an individual from the time of diagnosis through the end of life. Many survivors need long-term support from their healthcare providers, their community, and their caregivers, so it is important to better understand the impact of a quickly
growing number of cancer survivors.

Each year, the Cancer in Iowa report focuses on a different topic, chosen by the Iowa Cancer Registry and its partners. The purpose of the report is to feature the data we collect at the Registry, which begins at the time of cancer diagnosis, and to educate Iowans about the cancer burden in Iowa. This year’s report features cancer survivorship and the needs and challenges often faced by those diagnosed with cancer. Iowa needs more services throughout the state to provide survivorship care to the growing number of cancer survivors.

These include screening for cancer recurrence and new cancers, addressing late effects and delayed symptoms of cancer treatment, and improving quality of life for cancer survivors through nutrition, physical activity/movement, tobacco use cessation, and other mental health and social support services.

The Cancer in Iowa report is produced by the Iowa Cancer Registry. The Iowa Cancer Registry is Iowa’s statewide cancer registry, meaning that data are collected on all Iowa residents who are diagnosed with cancer. Given that cancer is a significant public health concern in Iowa and throughout the U.S., cancer is a reportable disease in all fifty states. The Iowa Administrative Code has designated the Iowa Cancer Registry to collect cancer data for Iowans and to use those data to track cancer trends and support efforts to reduce cancer diagnoses and deaths. Reducing Iowa’s cancer burden requires the cooperation of many people
and organizations, including providers, patients, researchers, public health professionals, policy makers and advocates, among others.

The Iowa Cancer Registry is funded by the National Cancer Institute through the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program, as well as the University of Iowa and the State of Iowa. But the funding generated by the registry goes beyond our operational expenses: research studies using Iowa Cancer

Registry data have been funded by many other federal agencies and foundations and include large, important studies such as the Agricultural Health Study. Iowa represents rural and Midwestern populations, and our data are included in many publications, national estimates, and projections of the impact of cancer.

Confidentiality is critically important to the Iowa Cancer Registry. It is the responsibility of the Iowa Cancer Registry to balance the need to protect its data and the privacy of those included in the Registry and provide researchers the information needed to conduct studies to help reduce the burden of cancer. To meet this goal, the Iowa Cancer Registry has policies around research, reporting, and release of data to safeguard the confidentiality of patients, providers, and hospitals.

The 2025 Cancer in Iowa report provides information on the status of cancer in our state. Key takeaways
include:

• An estimated 21,200 new, invasive cancers will be diagnosed among Iowans in 2025.
• An estimated 6,300 Iowans will die from cancer in 2025.
• The number of cancer survivors is growing, with an estimated 171,535 survivors currently living in Iowa.
• Cancer survivorship is the special focus this year, including stories of survivorship and advocacy.