CONTRIBUTED GRAPHIC — A study from the Iowa Cancer Registry estimates 270 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in Marshall County this year.

An estimated 270 residents in Marshall County will get cancer this year and 80 are expected to die, according to a report from the Iowa Cancer Registry.

The University of Iowa research group wrote in the report the state of Iowa has the second-highest rate of cancer in the country, as well as the fastest growing rate. The report states 2,250 Marshall County residents will live with cancer in 2024.

The primary Marshalltown location in which residents can receive treatment for cancer is McFarland Clinic. The oncology unit in the clinic is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Joe Merchant is one of the physicians tending to Marshalltown patients.

According to Merchant, Marshall County had 270 new cases, 90 deaths and 2,230 people living with cancer in 2023.

“The cancer incidence rate in Marshall County is 491 per 100,000 population,” he said. “This rate is slightly higher than the national average of 457 per 100,000 population.”

Merchant said Tama County had 130 cases of cancer and 40 deaths in 2023; Jasper County, 250 cases, 90 deaths; and Story County, 420 cases, 120 deaths.

Lung cancer has been the most prevalent new diagnosis in Marshall County followed by prostate, breast, colon and cervical. Merchant said smoking and tobacco account for the majority of lung cancer cases.

“More than one-fifth of Iowa high school students smoke cigarettes or use vaping devices – a cause for concern,” he said.

Merchant added they have seen an increase in young people with colon cancer.

“It is important for young people who have bowel irregularity, blood in the stool to be seen by a doctor and not keep those symptoms private,” he said. “It is not clear why there are more young people with colon cancer, but we all need to be alert to young people in their 20 to 40 year range getting this cancer which used to be limited to more middle and older aged people.”

According to Merchant, being overweight contributes to roughly 40 percent of cancers diagnosed in the country each year. Other causes he mentioned include radon gas exposure and infections, such as the human papilloma virus (HPV) and hepatitis B.

“Thankfully there are vaccines against these cancer-causing viruses, although uptake has been incomplete even though the vaccines are quite effective due to parental concerns in general about vaccines,” Merchant said.

One of the top reasons why his patients believe they have gotten cancer is exposure to farm chemicals, he said.

“Many older farmers tell me they were not as careful applying chemicals to their land when they were young,” Merchant said. “Many people worry about the safety of water contaminated by chemicals from runoff or from industrial plants.”

Outside of the Iowa Cancer Registry report, Sen. Jeff Edler (R-State Center) managed Senate File 2412 (SF2412) which would provide partial protection for ag chemical producers against health-related lawsuits.

The bill was passed by the Senate on April 2. Domestic makers of herbicides and pesticides will be protected against any failure to warn consumers of potential health effects of their products. However, the product must bear a federally-required label.

The bill is a response to the 167,000 lawsuits filed against Bayer for its Roundup product, a well-known and highly used herbicide during the last few decades. The lawsuits claim Roundup was the primary cause of cancer diagnoses, primarily non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

One cancer cause the Iowa Cancer Registry report addresses is alcohol, a known carcinogen. Twenty-two percent of Iowans, including 14 percent of Marshall County residents binge drink. Merchant said strong evidence suggests drinking alcohol increases the risk of breast, liver, mouth, throat, esophagus, bowel and stomach cancers.

“Alcohol has a toxic by-product called acetaldehyde which can damage cells by binding with DNA and causing cells to multiply incorrectly,” he said. “This is especially a problem in people who drink heavily as the acetaldehyde can build up to more toxic levels, causing more DNA damage. Alcohol also acts as a solvent, making it easier for other carcinogens, such as those found in tobacco, to be absorbed into cells – thereby multiplying risk of cancer further.”

T-R PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM — The McFarland Clinic in Marshalltown is an accredited breast cancer center recognized by the William R. Bliss Cancer Center.

Treatment

At the oncology unit in Marshalltown’s McFarland Clinic surgery, radiation and chemotherapy are offered, along with immunotherapy. A theranostic treatment for men with advanced prostate cancer was recently introduced.

Merchant said the new treatment is a “liquid radiation” shown to prolong life for men who are running out of other options. He added McFarland Clinic physicians are also using advanced molecular tests on patient tumor samples and blood to predict which specific treatment would work best for particular tumors.

“McFarland puts a lot of effort into preventing cancer by making sure our patients have all recommended screening tests,” Merchant said.

With lung cancer being the most prevalent in Marshall County, one prevention treatment is an annual low-dose CT scan for patients who have a history of smoking. He said it is like a “mammogram for the lungs.”

“We have made a big effort to extend lung cancer screening across our network,” Merchant said. “We have an active cancer genetics program which allows families with high prevalence of cancer to undergo testing to discover if they have genetic mutations predisposing to cancer. Individuals with such cancer causing genes can be screened more closely and can undergo preventive surgery when appropriate.”

There are ways for Marshall County residents to protect themselves, he said. Some steps Merchant said that can be taken include:

Obtaining the HPV and hepatitis B vaccines;

Becoming more physically active to reduce weight;

Avoiding binge drinking and making alcohol use occasional with limited serving sizes;

Avoid smoking, chewing tobacco and vaping;

Undergoing regular age-appropriate cancer screening when age appropriate and;

Regularly checking in for a physical exam with a primary care doctor who can check skin for changing moles and who can order screening tests.

——

Contact Lana Bradstream at (641) 753-6611 ext. 210 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.