Seeking answers to a cancer crisis in Iowa, researchers question if agriculture is to blame

Cancer in Iowa: We want to hear your stories

Amie here. We’re starting a big project at Iowa Starting Line that I’m really excited about: Cancer in Iowa. We’re investigating why Iowa’s cancer rates are so high, and growing so fast. We’re looking for your stories. I’ll start with mine. All three people pictured above, all Iowans (and my relatives), had cancer. My grandpa died when I was 12 of brain cancer. My mom, a nonsmoker, died of lung cancer in 2017, when she was 60. My gramma survived…

Seeking answers to a cancer crisis in Iowa, researchers question if agriculture is to blame

INDIANOLA, Iowa – Six months ago, Alex Hammer was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 37. Dianne Chambers endured surgery, chemotherapy and dozens of rounds of radiation to fight aggressive breast cancer, and Janan Haugen spends most days helping care for her 16-year-old grandson, who is still being treated for brain cancer he developed at the age of 7. The three were among a group of about two dozen people who came together last week in I…