x
Breaking News
More () »

American Cancer Society predicts about 6,500 Iowans will die from cancer in 2021

Delayed diagnoses from people who put off routine cancer screenings throughout the past year have the experts sounding the alarm on getting checked.
Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — KCRG reports a new study by the American Cancer Society predicts around 6,500 Iowans will die from cancer in 2021. That is 60 higher than their 2020 prediction.

Recent data from the society showed deaths from cancer are decreasing in recent years, but a lack of access to cancer care during the pandemic could disrupt the decline.

“These effects will trickle in. They won’t happen immediately. So we’re expecting to experience a secondary impact of the pandemic over the next decade in terms of cancer rates,” said Rebecca Siegel, a cancer epidemiologist with the organization.

Kimberly Ivester, the director of UnityPoint Health at St. Luke's Hospital Cancer Care and Nassif Community Cancer Center, says she hopes Iowa can avoid an increase following the pandemic.

“What we are seeing in the community is that our screening rates you know if you talk about Mammography are down a little bit this year, but not as much as we would have thought,” Ivester said.

According to Ivester, less than 10% of their patients delayed screenings during the pandemic - a good sign when it comes to early detection.

Jan Waters, 80, a lung cancer patient getting treatment at Hall-Perrine Cancer Center in Cedar Rapids, said she’s continued on with her appointments despite the pandemic and would encourage others to do the same.

“You know, we’ve learned a lot over the past couple of months and it’s absolutely safe to come into one of our centers and have a screening,” Ivester said.

Before You Leave, Check This Out