The details of your diagnosis
Underwriters start with the type of breast cancer. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is confined to the milk ducts, while invasive cancer has grown into the surrounding breast tissue. They also ask for the size of the tumour, its grade and whether any lymph nodes were affected.
Receptor status matters too. Hormone receptor positive and HER2 positive cancers are treated in different ways, and your pathology report will show which you had. If genetic testing found a change in a gene such as BRCA1 or BRCA2, the insurer may ask about it and about any risk-reducing surgery.
- DCIS or invasive cancer
- Tumour size, grade and stage
- Lymph node involvement
- Hormone receptor and HER2 status
- Surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone therapy dates
Treatment and the question of hormone tablets
Insurers ask about surgery, whether lumpectomy or mastectomy, and any chemotherapy, radiotherapy or targeted therapy. The date your main treatment ended is one of the most important answers on the form, so check it against your letters.
Many people take hormone tablets for years after their main treatment. Some insurers treat the end of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy as the key date, while others count the hormone therapy as ongoing treatment. This difference alone can change the offer, which is why comparing insurers matters so much here.
Outcomes after breast cancer
DCIS that was fully removed can sometimes lead to standard terms or a small loading after a short wait. Early invasive cancer with no lymph node involvement often leads to a loading that applies for a set number of years and then drops away.
Larger or higher-grade cancers, spread to the lymph nodes or recent treatment may lead to a postponement, with the insurer willing to look again later. Critical illness cover usually excludes breast cancer, or all cancers, after a diagnosis, though heart attack, stroke and other illnesses may still be covered.
Disclose everything, including screening findings
Your diagnosis, treatment and follow-up mammograms are all in your records. Declare them in full, including any further investigations since, so your family's claim cannot be challenged on the grounds that something was missing.
If the question covers abnormal screening results, recalls or breast lumps that turned out to be benign, include them too. A benign result is useful information and seldom counts against you.
If you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer and have had genetic counselling, the insurer may ask about it. Under the UK code agreed between insurers and the government, you do not have to share predictive genetic test results in most cases, though a diagnosis you have had must always be declared.
How Hi Tomorrow helps after breast cancer
We go through your treatment summary with you and pick out the details underwriters need, from grade and nodes to receptor status. We then approach insurers on our panel that tend to take a fair view of your type and stage.
If you are still on hormone tablets, we check how each insurer treats them before applying, so you are not postponed by one insurer when another would offer terms now.