More Iowans are surviving cancer than ever before, but this population has unique needs that require specialized support from health care providers, communities, and caregivers, according to the 2025 Cancer in Iowa report issued by the Iowa Cancer Registry.
The annual report, produced by the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa, estimates there are nearly 172,000 cancer survivors currently living in Iowa, about 5.4% of the population. More than 20,000 people are newly diagnosed with cancer each year in the state.
With that growing survivorship number comes an array of needs, which can vary by cancer type and by each individual survivor. These needs can include:
- Screening for cancer recurrence and new cancers.
- Addressing late effects and delayed symptoms of cancer treatment.
- Quality-of-life considerations, with emphases on nutrition, physical activity/movement, tobacco use cessation, and mental health and social support services.
“Our goal with this year’s Cancer in Iowa report is to get people thinking about what cancer survivors’ needs are and how we can best address those needs,” says Sarah Nash, assistant professor in epidemiology in the College of Public Health at Iowa and director of research at the Iowa Cancer Registry. “We know that cancer survivorship resources are underdeveloped across the United States as well as in Iowa. So, how can we work together to bolster the resources that we already have and provide resources in areas that we don't?”
The report notes that 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’s authors say.
Those numbers can put a strain on services and personnel. Nash recommends that providers and cancer survivors consult the Iowa Cancer Plan. Created by the Iowa Cancer Consortium and funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state agencies, the Iowa Cancer Plan serves as a guidebook of sorts about entities, services, and individuals involved in helping cancer survivors.
“When I think about what we can do as Iowans, my first port of call is the Iowa Cancer Plan,” Nash says. “That plan has overarching priorities and specific strategies that anybody interested in supporting Iowa's cancer survivors can look to.”
Research also is helping improve the kind of care cancer survivors need. Jess Gorzelitz, assistant professor in the Department of Health and Human Physiology at Iowa, operates a lab in which she investigates how cancer survivors who are introduced to muscle strengthening and aerobic exercise can improve their functional strength and quality of life.
“We know that people, after they finish cancer treatment, have reductions in their strength and function, and that can be a risk factor for other health conditions and premature death,” says Gorzelitz, who opened her research lab when she joined the department in August 2022. “So, we think it's really important to use exercise as a supplementary strategy to help people live their best lives and ultimately to reduce the burden of cancer.”
Her findings so far have been promising: Up to 70% of research participants in her lab have improved their fitness at a clinically significant clip, translating into these cancer survivors having up to a 40% lower risk of mortality.
“Most people don't think, ‘I go lift today so that I can live another two years,’” Gorzelitz says. “But from the epidemiological perspective, it's quite a powerful medicine.”
The Cancer in Iowa report includes county-by-county statistics, summaries of new research projects, and a special section focused on cancer survivorship. All information in the report is available online or by calling the registry at 319-335-8609.
The Cancer in Iowa report is a product of the Iowa Cancer Registry, which collects cancer data on all Iowa residents. The Iowa Cancer Registry is funded in part with federal funds from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, as well as by the University of Iowa and the state of Iowa.
UI Health Care patients thriving after cancer care
Of the approximately 172,000 cancer survivors living in Iowa, here are a few who received treatment at University of Iowa Health Care:
Scarlette Wheelock
Clinton, Iowa
Survivor of brain cancer
After experiencing mysterious symptoms, a second opinion in 2022 led Scarlette Wheelock to University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital, where specialists discovered the preschooler had brain cancer.
Surgery and subsequent tests of the tumor revealed that it was cancerous but had not spread. Doctors with the Pediatric Brain Tumor Clinic at Stead Family Children’s Hospital — the first of its kind in Iowa and one of just a few in the United States — cared for Scarlette.
Scarlette underwent weekly chemotherapy treatments for about 14 months until July 2023. The section of the tumor that could not be removed has continued to be stable.
Since her cancer treatment, Scarlette has been able to visit Disney World, play softball and soccer, and conquer the rock wall at the trampoline park.
Linda Jacobs
DeWitt, Iowa
Survivor of breast cancer and angiosarcoma
Linda Jacobs was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and radiation-induced angiosarcoma in 2021. After conventional treatments to treat her angiosarcoma failed, Linda decided to join a clinical trial at University of Iowa Health Care.
Every two weeks, Linda received an injection of RP1, a genetically modified herpes simplex virus, into her tumor. Each injection was followed by an infusion of a monoclonal antibody to prevent the cancer cells from suppressing the immune system.
As a result of the treatment, Linda’s tumors shrank, and she is now cancer-free. She calls the innovative treatment “a miracle” and credits it for her recovery.
Since Linda’s cancer treatment, she has been able to spend time with her grandchildren, travel to Mexico, and train a new puppy.
Jordan Hauck
Huxley, Iowa
Survivor of melanoma
Jordan Hauck was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma at age 27. After discovering a lump in his armpit, he sought treatment with University of Iowa Health Care and found that the cancer had spread to his lungs and liver.
Jordan participated in a clinical trial involving a combination of oral medication targeting the cancer’s metabolic pathway and high-dose injections of a protein to help his immune system kill the cancer cells. Within a year, Jordan was cancer-free. He has had no recurrence of cancer since 2023.
Since Jordan’s cancer treatment, he has welcomed a second daughter to their family, vacationed with his wife in Hawaii and the Caribbean, and raised more than $25,000 for skin cancer research and awareness.
