2026 Cancer in Iowa Report Highlights Agricultural Health Study Findings
The 2026 Cancer in Iowa Report, published by the Iowa Cancer Registry, features findings from the Agricultural Health Study, a significant research project on agricultural exposures and health. The report estimates that 21,700 Iowans will be diagnosed with cancer this year, with 6,400 expected to die from the disease. The Agricultural Health Study, involving participants from Iowa and North Carolina since the mid-1990s, reveals that Iowa farmers and their spouses have 10-13% fewer cancers than the general population, after adjusting for age and sex. The study's principal investigator, Laura Beane Freeman, and David Cwiertny from the University of Iowa discuss environmental factors contributing to cancer diagnoses in the state.