Zip Code Level Cancer Maps

The Zip Code Level Cancer Maps were created through a partnership among the Iowa Cancer Registry, the Center for Public Health Statistics at the University of Iowa, the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Iowa Cancer Consortium. The maps were designed to help illustrate areas of the state where risk for developing or dying from certain cancers is higher than the state average for selected cancers.

Cancers were selected based on their frequency and on the potential to impact incidence or mortality through prevention or screening initiatives. Incidence (new cancer cases) data is based on cancers that were diagnosed between 2004 and 2018. Mortality (death) data is based on cancer deaths occurring between 2004 and 2018.

For each selected cancer, there are the following 3 options for viewing risk probabilities:

  • Incidence – new cases of the cancer
  • Late Stage Incidence – new late stage cases of the cancer, defined as AJCC stages III and IV (cancer has spread beyond the organ into lymph nodes or to other distant sites)
  • Mortality – deaths from the cancer

The risk probabilities do not represent the actual risk of developing or dying from the selected cancers.  Rather, they represent the relative risk of developing or dying from selected cancers for each zip code, relative to the state average for Iowa.

Each map can be accessed from the navigation bar above. Here is a list of all the available maps: