About 6,300 Iowans will die from cancer this year, including many whose lives could have been spared by regular screenings, vaccinations and lifestyle changes, experts said Monday.

The predicted number of cancer deaths would be a decline of about 100 from 2021. But Dr. Mary Charlton, director of the Iowa Cancer Registry, said researchers expect about 20,000 new diagnoses of serious cancers in the state this year, an increase of about 1,000 from last year.

Charlton noted cancer screening services were curtailed in the spring of 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered many routine medical services. Although screenings resumed later that year, some patients have remained wary of coming in. Read the full story from the Des Moines Register

(This story also ran in the Iowa City Press-Citizen and the Burlington Hawkeye)

Additional Media Coverage

Cedar Rapids Gazette: https://www.thegazette.com/health-care-medicine/early-detection-saved-my-life/

KCRG: https://www.kcrg.com/2022/03/11/iowa-woman-is-walking-testament-life-saving-early-cancer-screenings/

KGAN: https://cbs2iowa.com/news/local/2022-cancer-in-iowa-report-estimates-20000-iowans-will-be-diagnosed-with-cancer-this-year

WOWT-TV (Omaha):  https://www.wowt.com/2022/03/07/iowa-cancer-report-expects-increase-cancer-diagnoses/

Iowa Public Radio/River to River: https://www.iowapublicradio.org/podcast/river-to-river/2022-03-09/a-cancer-screening-saved-her-life-have-you-scheduled-yours

Radio Iowa: https://www.radioiowa.com/2022/03/08/cancer-death-rates-in-iowa-expected-to-go-up/

Daily Iowan: https://dailyiowan.com/2022/03/07/iowa-cancer-report-advises-urgent-return-to-cancer-screenings-after-pandemic/