General Cancer
Cancer
Cancer is the term used to describe inappropriate cell growth, which can affect any tissue or organ of the body and can spread beyond its origin. Definitive diagnosis is made by the microscopic evaluation of these abnormal cells.
Important to Know:
- Age at diagnosis
- Organ(s) involved
- Type of cancer
- Results of pathology report (stage/grade)
- Type of treatment(s) and when last treatment ended
- Lymph node involvement
- Metastatic disease
- Recurrence/Relapse
Helpful terms:
Pathology report: The statement describing cells/tissue appearance as seen under a microscope.
- Grade: Determined by the number of cells undergoing cell division (mitosis) and reflects the “aggressiveness” of a cancer. Most cancer as classified on scale of I to IV with most favorable or well differentiated Grade I progressing to the most poorly differentiated Grade IV.
- Stage: Defines the extend of the cancer (size and/or spread). The most common staging criteria is TNM (T for tumor size, N for regional lymph node involvement and M for distant spread of disease or metastasis).
- Gleason score: This is the grading scale of 2-10 used for prostate tumors with 2 being less aggressive.
- Metastasis: Spread of tumor from its site of origin to distant sites.
This is not an application for insurance and in no way guarantees a specific underwriting class or binds any insurance coverage with any insurance carrier. This form is used exclusively to gather specific information on a proposed insured’s medical history and other factors that may impact underwriting and rating classification. Information contained herein is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical advice.