The 15 Places in Idaho With the Highest Cancer Rates

Before James Van Der Beek passed away from colorectal cancer, he had been fairly open about symptoms he didn’t recognize and misconceptions he had about cancer screenings. Because of the role Dawson’s Creek played in the lives of so many Idahoans who are now in their 30s and 40s, this wasn’t just another celebrity death. It was sort of a wake-up call. 

In fact, it was something we were thinking about a few weeks before Van Der Beek died. We don’t know why the algorithm brought a woman named Cassandra Costley into our Instagram Reels feed. At that point, her account was being run by her husband after she passed away at the age of 39 from stage 4 colon cancer. She had two pinned videos at the top of her feed that everyone should watch. 

READ MORE: Idaho's 10 Leading Causes of Death Revealed

Costley shared that she’d been experiencing a bit of bleeding and discomfort for years, but just assumed she was experiencing hemorrhoids. It wasn’t until her doctors were trying to figure out why she’d been so fatigued over the span of a year that she spoke up about the embarrassing symptom. It was the clue that pulled everything together. 

They immediately scheduled her for a colonoscopy and discovered that she had stage 4 colon cancer that had spread to her liver and lungs. She was around 37 when she was diagnosed. The recommended age for your first colon cancer screening is 45. 

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Van Der Beek shared a similar story about his diagnosis. He’d noticed a change in his bowel movements, but thought they were due to how much coffee he drank. Cancer was the last thing he suspected because he was otherwise in great cardiovascular shape and very active. 

Both Costley and Van Der Beek shared those stories not to scare people, but to spread awareness. Have those uncomfortable conversations if something feels off. They’re often the most important ones you can have. 

New Data Shows Which Idaho Counties Have the Most Cancer Cases

We put together this list for a similar reason. The number of rural communities in Idaho often plays a big role in how early and often people get checked out. In those more rural areas, access to screenings and specialists are usually paired with a long drive to appointments. Nine of the 15 counties with the highest diagnosed cancer rates in Idaho are rural counties. 

Though that can seem like an inconvenience, early detection can make a huge difference. It can help give you or a loved one more options and more time if doctors do find something concerning. 

To better understand what cancer rates look like close to home, we pulled the latest available data from the National Cancer Institute and the CDC. The numbers break down which Idaho counties have seen the highest diagnosed cancer rates between 2017 and 2021.