UPDATE: The breast cancer mortality rate in Iowa has dropped significantly over the past 20 years, University of Iowa doctors said Wednesday, a trend they expect to continue thanks to better screening and treatment advancements. Age-adjusted breast cancer mortality rates were stable from 1976 to 1992, when the rates peaked, but then decreased 40 percent [...]

Despite a national push, fewer teens than expected are getting vaccinations that prevent a type of cancer transmitted through sexual activity. Mayo Clinic researchers in Minnesota found only a third of eligible teen girls got shots to prevent the human papilloma virus, or HPV. Five years ago, the percent of parents who said they would [...]

Doctors recommend getting a colonoscopy to check for colon cancer every 10 years, starting at the age of 50. Kim Bro, of Cedar Rapids, turned 50 in December so she made an appointment to have a colonoscopy on Feb. 1. “I’m a nurse so I know the importance of early detection screenings,” Bro says. What [...]

  Cancer screenings, like mammograms, are becoming more commonplace. But health authorities are still trying to get the message out about the need for colon cancer screenings. Doctors recommend that everyone have a colonoscopy every 10 years beginning at age 50. “Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of all cancer deaths in Iowa,” says [...]

As one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the United States, colorectal cancer touches thousands of families each year. Fran McCaffery, the men’s basketball coach at the University of Iowa, knows this pain all too well, losing not only his father, but also his mother to colorectal cancer. Jack McCaffery died 15 years [...]

Over the past 10 years, Cathy Faulkner, of Cedar Rapids, has been diagnosed with cancer three times. But she hasn’t let it defeat her, or crush her zest for life. Instead, Faulkner believes her upbeat attitude has helped her persevere. Faulkner, 57, was diagnosed with colon cancer — what she calls “pain in the butt [...]

  You’ve just turned 50 and you know you need to make That Appointment … to schedule your first colonoscopy. But you’re putting it off. You’ve heard the prep is really unpleasant; who wants to go through all that? This is the attitude of many people facing their first colonoscopy, says Dr. Douglas Purdy, of [...]

Legislation that would require facilities offering mammograms to also give patients information on breast density will be considered by state lawmakers. Democratic Rep. Helen Miller of Fort Dodge is the leading sponsor of the bill, which is scheduled for debate by a House subcommittee on Wednesday. Women who have dense breast tissue have a greater [...]

This fall, a few Iowa teens might be saying “ouch.” Beginning with the 2013-14 school year, incoming  students in certain grades will be required to have the tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis (TDAP) vaccine. “The best way to prevent them coming sick with whooping cough is vaccination,” said Heather Meador, a nurse with Linn County Public [...]

Iowa ranked first in the percentage of adults aged 65 and older vaccinated against the flu last year, according to a new report that rates states’ preparedness. In the report released Tuesday, Jan. 15, the Trust for America’s Health noted that 75.9 percent of seniors were vaccinated in Iowa, more than any other state and [...]