IOWA CITY - State health officials on Wednesday predicted that 16,000 new cancer cases will be reported in Iowa this year, up slightly from a year ago and enough to keep the disease the second leading cause of death in the state.

The 2006 report, based on data from the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Iowa Cancer Registry, also estimates cancer will kill 6,300 Iowans, down slightly from earlier projections.

Officials say cancer remains the second leading cause of death, behind heart disease. Cancer causes nearly one in four deaths in Iowa each year. Lung, prostate, breast and colorectal remain the state's leading types of cancer, the report said.

"We are seeing decreases in mortality in the big four" cancer types, said Dr. Charles Lynch, medical director of the cancer registry at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics. "But cancer incident rates are staying pretty stable. More of that reduction is coming through screening and improved treatment."

For the first time, the report has been widened to cover brain and central nervous system tumors. The Iowa registry has joined with public health officials in other states to collect and track data on benign and malignant brain tumors in hopes of better understanding causes, health effects and treatment.

"As an overall incidence, brain tumors represent a smaller population of the cancer population in general but represent a particularly devastating group of patients because of the impact on the quality of life and cognition," said Dr. Timothy Ryken, associate professor of neurosurgery.

He said there is a need for new therapies for those illnesses.

"Hopefully by increasing public awareness and legislative awareness we can continue to drive research protocols designed to try to uncover the (cause) of these devastating tumors," Ryken said.

The registry projects that brain cancer will kill 80 women and 90 men in Iowa this year.

Brain cancer cases have not been tracked in recent years, but public health officials cited a 2000 study that found 213 cases of malignant tumors and 274 non-cancerous cases newly diagnosed in Iowans.

Typically, brain cancer cases are diagnosed later than other forms because the symptoms - dizziness, loss of balance, sleep loss from headaches and diminished motor skills - can be subtle or blamed on other ailments, Ryken said. Treatment varies, from surgery to remove tumors to radiation and chemotherapy.

Officials predict that lung, breast and colorectal will be the leading causes of cancer deaths in women this year, while lung, prostate and colorectal will lead cancer mortality totals for men.