Buying Life Insurance with a History of Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic Cancer and Life Insurance
Will a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer make it difficult
to purchase life insurance?
- The Staging and Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer
- Is Life Insurance an Option for Pancreatic Cancer Patients?
- How MEG Financial Can Help
- Related Links for Pancreatic Cancer
 The pancreas produces fluids used
by the body to digest food and hormones responsible for
the regulation of how the body stores digested food. Pancreatic cancer is a difficult
to diagnose due to the fact that the pancreas itself, an
oblong gland located deep in the abdomen, is partially hidden
behind the stomach and inside a loop of the small intestine. In
its earliest stages, pancreatic cancer may affect a person
with symptoms such as nausea, loss of appetite, weight loss,
jaundice (yellowing of the skin) or pain in the upper or
middle part of the abdomen that mimic other illnesses Often
the tumor remains silent and undetectable until it has grown
large enough to interfere with surrounding organs. In
almost 50% of patients, the tumor has spread before being
detected. Pancreatic cancer accounts for less than
3% of all cancers, but has the fourth highest mortality rate
in the United States. It is more common among men than
women and the risk of it increases with age, smoking and
obesity.
The Staging and Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer
There is no singular cause of pancreatic
cancer. Tumors
can be genetic in origin, caused by changes in a person’s
DNA, and passed through families; they can also occur through
accidental cell replication or from exposure to chemical
carcinogens. Statistics reveal that almost one third of all
cases are due to cigarette smoking and scientists are exploring
other possible risk factors including type 2 diabetes. Regardless
of its origin, once diagnosed, the treatment of pancreatic
cancer depends upon its staging. Staging is the process
used to determine the severity of a disease based on a classification
of established symptomatic criteria:
- Stage 1: Cancer
is contained only in the pancreas or has just started
to spread to nearby tissues such as the small intestine,
stomach or the bile duct.
- Stage 2: Cancer has spread from the
pancreas to nearby organs such as the stomach, spleen or
colon, but has not entered the lymph nodes.
- Stage 3: Cancer has spread to the lymph
nodes in the vicinity of the pancreas, but may or may not
have spread to other organs.
- Stage 4: Cancer
has spread to other organs such as the liver or lungs.
Only about 20% of pancreatic tumors
can be removed surgically. The surgical technique known
as a pancreaticoduodenectomy, or the Whipple procedure,
is employed to remove tumors that are contained within
the pancreas. Individuals with
pancreatic cancer that can be surgically removed are often
treated with chemotherapy and radiation after surgery to
enhance survival rates. Tumors that are confined to the pancreas,
but cannot be surgically removed may be treated with a combination
of radiation therapy and chemotherapy. In instances
where the cancer has metastasized, or spread, from the pancreas
to other organs, chemotherapy alone is usually used. When
pancreatic cancer cannot be removed completely with surgery,
or if it has metastasized to other parts of the body, patients
may be referred to medical research studies where newer treatment
methods are being used.
Is Life Insurance an Option for Pancreatic Cancer
Patients?
As previously discussed, more than
50% of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer have advanced
cases due to the fact that the disease goes undetected
or is misdiagnosed in its earliest stages. Because
of this staging, insurers are unlikely to offer coverage
of any type to individuals undergoing treatment for pancreatic
cancer.
 Related
Links for Pancreatic Cancer
|
|
