As cancer rates fall nationally, Iowa sees a troubling rise in diagnoses

By — Fred de Sam Lazaro Fred de Sam Lazaro By — Sam Lane Sam Lane By — Simeon Lancaster Simeon Lancaster Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/as-cancer-rates-fall-nationally-iowa-sees-a-troubling-rise-in-diagnoses Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Transcript Audio For years, national conversations about cancer have often focused on the so-called “Cancer Alley” in the Deep South or Appalachian states with high smoking rates. But recently, a different state has grabbed headlines. Iowa has the second-highest cancer incidence in the country and is one of only three states where rates are rising. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports. Read the Full Transcript Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors. Amna Nawaz: For years, national conversations about cancer often focused on the so-called Cancer Alley in the Deep South or Appalachian states with high smoking rates. But, recently, a different state has grabbed headlines. Iowa. It now has the second highest cancer incidence in the country, and is one of only three states where rates are rising. Special correspondent Fred De Sam Lazaro went to Iowa and has this report on the search for answers. Fred De Sam Lazaro: For 35-year-old Becca Mataloni, it started in 2019 with a crackling noise every time she inhaled. Becca Mataloni, Iowa Resident: Kind of like dial-up Internet, is how I always describe what it sounded like. Fred De Sam Lazaro: In 2022, she developed pneumonia, in 2024, another bout of pneumonia. Mataloni, who lives in the Des Moines area, had multiple scans and met with a pulmonologist, who delivered the diagnosis, a cancerous tumor on her lung. Becca Mataloni: It's really devastating to get a cancer diagnosis in your 30s. And even though my pulmonologist told me that I was going to be OK, it sucks, and hearing I'm going to lose two-thirds of my lung. Like, one of the first questions I asked was, am I still going to be able to do the things I love? Fred De Sam Lazaro: In rural Northern Iowa, Shelley Phelps lost her sister to breast cancer in 2015. Two years later, her husband, Michael, was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. Shelley Phelps, Iowa Resident: You think, how can I go through this again? And how can my kids go through this again? Fred De Sam Lazaro: They had to drive at least an hour any time Michael needed treatment. In 2020, he died at the age of 50. Shelley Phelps: I have always said that, if it wasn't for my faith, I would not have gotten through this, because you're always waiting for that next shoe to fall. Who's going to be diagnosed next? Fred De Sam Lazaro: The stories represent a grim reality for Iowa, which was following national cancer trends until about 2013, when rates began to rise, driven by prostate, breast and lung cancer, as well as melanoma. Now, for the third year in a row, it's got the second highest