BREAST CANCER & LIFE INSURANCE ~ UNDERWRITING ISSUES Breast Cancer and Life Insurance    If you have had a history of Breast Cancer, a broker may still be able to help you obtain life or critical illness cancer insurance cover - although maybe not on standard terms.  There are some critical factors involved that will determine your ability to obtain coverage & your information is always treated with the utmost privacy by the insurer or broker. If however you have not had breast cancer but looking now for comprehensive cover to insure youself in the event of critical illness diagnosis of breast cancer or possible mastectomy - then we can help you with a competitive Critical Illness Insurance Quote  Critical Illness Insurance Comparison Tables   What Type of Breast Cancer ? The term "Breast Cancer" covers a great multitude of conditions from a small skin growth to more aggressive terminal cancers. Each individual will have personal circumstances and Uk life insurance companies will want to gather as much information as possible before making an underwriting decision. Each year, around 44,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK, making it the most common cancer in women. Breast cancer can also occur in men, but this is rare. One in nine women develops breast cancer at some time in their life. Breast cancer is most common in women over 50. Your breasts are made up of fat, connective tissue and gland tissue divided into lobes. The lobes are connected to your nipple by ducts. Breast cancer usually starts in the cells lining the ends of the lobes and in the ducts themselves. Cancerous tumours can grow through your breast, spread to other parts of your body and invade surrounding tissue. Life Insurance - Non-invasive Breast Cancers Non-invasive breast cancers are cancers that remain within the ducts or lobes of the breast and do not spread to surrounding tissue or to other parts of the body. The most common type of non-invasive breast cancer is ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). The cancer cells are only found inside the milk ducts and haven't spread through the walls of the ducts into the breast tissue. In some cases, DCIS may then develop into an invasive form of breast cancer. Life Insurance - Invasive Breast Cancers Invasive brest cancers are cancers that have started to spread from the ducts or lobes of the breast into surrounding tissue. The most common type of invasive breast cancer is called invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), where the cancer cells are in the ducts and the breast tissue. Around three in four people diagnosed with breast cancer have this type. About one in ten women get invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), which starts growing in the lobes, but can spread to other parts of the breast. Both IDC and ILC can spread to other parts of the body. Breast Cancer & Life Assurance Underwriting In all cases, this will probably include Doctor's and Specialist consultant's reports to ascertain; 1) the type of breast cancer: 2) when the breast cancer first/last occurred: 3) how far advanced the breast cancer is/was: 4) Breast Cancer treatment received: 5) what the current situation is. Likely life insurance underwriting decisions for various cancers as above. The better the treatment and the varied types of cancers, the 'staging system' (0 -4, 4 being the most serious cancer) and the individual Uk life insurance providers attitudes - all add to complicate the overall underwriting processes. Stage 1 - Likely decision maybe deferred for 1 to 3 years after treatment to be possibly accepted, but also likely to incur a higher monthly medical loadings on premium costs. Stage I or 2 - Decision maybe deferred for 1 to 5 years after treatment, then only with higher temporary medical loadings on premiums. Premiums are likely to reduce from year 6 to 10 after treatment, to near normal. Stage 3 - Decision maybe deferred for 5 years after treatment, then only with even higher, temporary medical loadings on premiums. Stage 4 - Likely to be declined by an Insurer currently. Note non-disclosure of your actual Breast Cancer history wether actual, suspected or benign, may make any plan claim void & the insurer is not obliged to refund any premiums paid if this was deliberately not disclosed.  What do Uk Life Insurance Companies look for - when Underwriting a History of Breast Cancer ? It would depend on the type of Breast Cancer and its severity as mentioned above. For Life or Critical lllness Cover most Uk insurers would view each case on an individual basis before making a decision. However the likely decision for all types of cover maybe a substantial premium rating or decline. Note that decisions may vary quite dramatically between insurers so please contact us for help & advice. History - What happened in the past? How severe is the problem now & how does this affect you day to day? Medical Records - What do your medical records say about you?  Have you developed medical problems as a result of  Breast Cancer ?  If you have already developed associated problems as a result of Breast Cancer, many companies may probably decline people looking for cancer insurance.   Treatment - Have you been for Breast Cancer patient treatment. What is you current level of staging ?   Family History - Do you parents or sisters have a history of Breast Cancer also?  If so what type do they have ? For help with Breast Cancer issues why not visit  www.cancerresearch.org or www.macmillan.org.uk * ( * Note: You are now leaving the regulated site of Uk Life Insurance Quotes. Neither ourselves, nor Sesame Ltd, is responsible for the accuracy of the information contained within the linked site.)  Have Breast Cancer & looking in 2010 to compare Life Insurance products against other Uk Insurers - including Life cover, decreasing (mortgage protection) or level term life insurance, Life with Critical Illness and Income Protection.  > Need a Competitive Life or Critical Illness Insurance Quote ?