(Radio Iowa) – A new study shows cancer rates in the Midwest are among the highest in the nation, and the number of cancer cases in Iowa is rising, while the state’s rate of cancer deaths is falling. Dr. Ben Parsons, a hematologist-oncologist at Gundersen Health System, says part of the reason for the rising numbers is lifestyle choices like alcohol and tobacco use, but obesity also plays a big role in cancer risk. “There are significant hormonal changes that happen as people carry a lot of extra weight, especially women and breast cancer, and it’s a huge deal,” Parsons says, “and I think it’s one of those ones that people don’t always think about when they’re thinking about their health.”

A report from the University of Iowa-based Iowa Cancer Registry estimates 21-thousand Iowans will be diagnosed with cancer this year, an increase from last year, while the projected number of Iowans who will die from cancer is falling. With Iowa being such a farm-focused state, Parsons says chemicals may also play a leading role in the rise in the state’s cancer cases. “If you look at the number of unregulated chemicals that are released into our society, there’s 250-plus new chemicals that have been released since 1950 and a lot of that we’re learning more and more about them,” Parsons says. “The Midwest is a large agricultural area. There’s definitely an association with glyphosate or Roundup and some cancers, especially lymphoid malignancies, like lymphomas.” Access to health care can also be a factor in cancer rates, and Parsons says some rural areas of Iowa are under-served.

“Most of our communities actually have access to a relatively high level of quality health care,” Parsons says, “and that’s really what obviously sways whether or not you’re going to have early detection, treatment, and have better outcomes associated with that.” He says some keys to staying healthy include getting annual physicals, keeping up with vaccines, and getting screened for various risks — like routine colonoscopies or mammograms. Plus, there’s exercise. “It’s encouraged to have 150 minutes of exercise every week. That can be as simple as taking a 15-minute walk a day,” Parsons says. “It doesn’t have to be what most people think of as exercise, like going to the gym and lifting weights and things like that. It’s really just getting your body moving, taking the stairs at work, parking a little further away from the grocery store, any of those little things add up.”