Iowa officials unveiled the first phase of a $1 million cancer study with one number front and center: 76%. State leaders touted the figure Tuesday, Sept. 29, the day the study was released, and the role behavioral and demographic factors, such as smoking and drinking, play in explaining Iowa's higher-than-average cancer rates. Researchers refer to the cases Iowa sees above what national averages would forecast as excess cases. The figure, though, explains why Iowa sees more cancer than the U.S. average only when it comes to selected groups of people across just five cancer types. When all cancer types are included, the study explains about 35% of the excess cases Iowa sees. Tap the link in our bio for more on this story. #Iowa #IApolitics #cancer