A cancer diagnosis affects all aspects of life — including how you plan and protect yourself from unexpected clinical complications when you travel abroad. Whether you’re arranging a short break, visiting family abroad, or finally taking a long-awaited holiday, obtaining travel insurance with a diagnosis of cancer can be daunting.
The important thing to remember is this: having advanced cancer does not automatically prevent you from getting travel insurance.
We speak to people every day who thought travelling again wasn’t possible — until they discovered InsureCancer. We specialise in arranging travel insurance for people living with advanced cancer and perhaps, a terminal prognosis. We have the specialist skills to clinically assess cases and offer cover in most cases. Here’s what you need to know before you travel.
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Why standard travel insurance often fails cancer patients
Most mainstream travel insurance providers use automated screening systems programmed to automatically exclude those with metastatic cancer, those on treatment, or perhaps awaiting surgery or the results of a scan etc. This can be deeply frustrating, especially if you are stable and well for the trip. InsureCancer does not use any form of automated box-ticking, which plainly cannot work in complex clinical cases like advanced cancer.
If you already have insurance, your existing policy wording will usually require you to inform the insurer about any change in medical circumstances. Once notified, the insurer may;
• exclude anything related to cancer
• decline cover entirely and cancel an existing policy
As many cancer patients will have had at least one unplanned hospitalisation during their cancer journey they are keenly aware that unexpected complications do occur, and when overseas, hospital care can cost tens of thousands of pounds – especially if you need medical repatriation back to the UK. Cancer patients therefore need to be confident that their policy will provides emergency medical expenses cover abroad and should it be necessary, medical repatriation back to the UK.
All InsureCancer polices are clinically underwritten to include your diagnosis of cancer and will therefore provide full cover for medical emergencies and repatriation.
That’s where specialist insurance becomes important.
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What makes specialist cancer travel insurance different?
Cancer is not one condition. There are over 200 different types of cancer and many treatment protocols, cancer drugs and treatment modalities. And of course, every cancer patient will have a very individual response to their treatment. The management and treatment of advanced cancer is therefore too complex for simple automated box-ticking screening. A specialist advanced cancer travel insurer will therefore underwrite every case individually, based on the patient’s individual clinical details and circumstances.
With a good understanding of your cancer drugs and treatment protocol, you will be able to have a meaningful unscripted conversation with InsureCancer, this will ensure that we have good understanding of your individual circumstances. As a specialist, we will also be aware of potential drug side effects and will be able to explore with you, ways to avoid clinical complications whilst on holiday.
That’s why InsureCancer does not use automated tick-box screening and will assess you as an individual.
A specialist underwriter looks at things like:
• the type and stage of cancer
• whether it has spread
• Where it has spread to and the extent of the metastatic disease
• current treatment drugs, side effects etc
• review your most recent scans/bloods etc to demonstrate you are clinically stable.
• your doctor’s view on travel
Rather than automatically refusing cover, the goal is to understand and assess risk based on clinical knowledge and a deep understanding of the management of cancer. It is also important to identify and implement strategies to minimise the risk of medical complications whist on holiday.
Every call is more like a conversation exploring your circumstances, rather than a questionnaire – InsureCancer does not use telephone call scripts. You will therefore have the opportunity to describe your cancer history in your own way, in your own time.
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What does a policy actually cover?
With an advanced cancer diagnosis there is always the possibility of medical complications whilst on holiday abroad. This is particularly the case for those who are on treatment such as chemotherapy.
Therefore, patients travelling abroad must ensure that their policy provides full cover for emergency medical treatment and if necessary, medical repatriation back to the UK. The policy should also provide a 24-hour emergency assistance telephone number so that the policyholder can easily get help. For ease of access, travellers are encouraged to save this emergency assistance number on their mobile phone.
In addition to providing cover for emergency medical expenses and repatriation, InsureCancer policies also provide cover for delayed departure, lost luggage, personal money, personal accident etc.
In other words, InsureCancer policies provide peace of mind for advanced cancer patients when travelling abroad.
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Can you travel while on treatment such as chemotherapy?
Yes. InsureCancer routinely provides cover for those on treatment such as chemotherapy/targeted therapy/immunotherapy etc, and will contact the treating oncologist to access your latest up-to-date clinical information.
As part of the underwriting process, InsureCancer will need to know your treatment details as well as the drugs used in your treatment protocol, so have your list of drugs ready when you call. InsureCancer will be familiar with your drugs and, in the context of your treatment, will be able to help you plan for your holiday to ensure you are clinically well for your trip, as well as suggest strategies to minimise the possibility of having medical complications whilst on holiday abroad. ________________________________________
When cancer is advanced or terminal
There are four stages of cancer; Stages 1 and 2, this early-stage cancer which is localised. Stage 3 cancer is locally advanced (nearby tissues/lymph nodes etc.) and Stage 4 cancer where the cancer has distant spread to lymph nodes, other organs, bones etc. Some Stage 3 cancers and all Stage 4 cancers are ‘advanced cancer’.
If the cancer is likely to shorten life it can be considered to be terminal. However, many advanced cancers are very treatable and expected life spans can be measured in years. For those living with advanced cancer, the ability to travel abroad is fundamental to their quality of life. Visiting friends and family, returning to places of significance, or simply taking a planned trip, suddenly becomes more important than ever.
A diagnosis of advanced cancer does make it harder to find travel insurance, but InsureCancer can help. We specialise in providing travel insurance for advanced cancer patients and we routinely provide cover for those with metastatic or terminal cancer. We can help most people who are clinically stable. It simply requires specialised clinical knowledge to make individual assessments and help with realistic planning which can mitigate the risks of medical complications abroad.
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The real takeaway
A cancer diagnosis changes how you travel — but it doesn’t automatically stop you travelling.
With the right preparation, medical advice, and specialist insurance, many people continue to take holidays safely and confidently.
The aim of specialised travel insurance isn’t to promise nothing will go wrong, it’s there to make sure that if it does, you are protected.
InsureCancer provides peace of mind that help will be available when you need it most.
Do I need to declare cancer to travel insurance?
Yes — always. A diagnosis of cancer must be declared as it is a pre-existing medical condition. If you do not disclose your diagnosis, the insurer can refuse a claim and cancel the policy, even if the claim appears to not to be directly related to cancer.
This is because cancer is complex and the powerful drugs used, can have significant side effects impacting other organs, increased infection risk etc.
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Can I travel abroad after a cancer diagnosis?
Yes. Many people can still travel abroad after a cancer diagnosis, including those receiving treatment or living with advanced cancer. The key requirements are checking with your oncologist that you are fit for the trip and have specialist travel insurance that covers potential cancer-related complications abroad. Standard travel insurance will usually decline cover for advancer cancer, but as a cancer specialist, InsureCancer can help most patients, even with advanced cancer.
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Can I travel while on treatment?
Yes. But travelling whilst on treatment, such as chemotherapy, will depend on your overall stability, infection risk, side effects etc.
As part of the underwriting process, InsureCancer will need to know your treatment details as well as the drugs used in your treatment protocol. InsureCancer will be familiar with your drugs and, in the context of your treatment, will be able to help you plan for your holiday to ensure you are clinically well for your trip, as well as suggest strategies to minimise the possibility of having medical complications whilst on holiday abroad.
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Will travel insurance cover cancer-related emergencies abroad?
Yes – this is the key reason for buying travel insurance. However, standard policies will often exclude cancer-related claims, and you will therefore need a specialist cancer travel insurance policy.
Most cancer patients will have experienced at least one unplanned hospitalisation during their cancer journey. Therefore, aware of the possibility of unexpected complications whilst on holiday, cancer patients need to ensure that their policy provides emergency medical expenses cover and repatriation for their diagnosis.
All InsureCancer polices provide full cover for cancer related medical emergencies and if necessary, repatriation back to the UK.
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Can I get travel insurance with metastatic or terminal cancer?
Yes. InsureCancer specialises in providing cover to those with metastatic or terminal cancer. InsureCancer will individually underwrite each case based on your personal circumstances and clinical treatment details obtained from your oncologist.
InsureCancer does not use any form of automated box-ticking, which plainly cannot work in complex clinical cases like advanced cancer.
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Can I travel while waiting for scan results?
Yes. All cancer patients will be on routine followup and therefore will always be awaiting another scan – often on a three-month/six-month basis. However, insurers using box ticking screening questions are likely to decline cover, as these systems are programmed to automatically exclude those awaiting scan results.
InsureCancer does not use automated screening. Advanced cancer patients awaiting scan results are welcome to call InsureCancer.
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How much does cancer travel insurance cost?
As all cancer patients respond to their treatment on a very individual basis, premiums can therefore vary widely depending on their clinical status, treatment protocol, medical complications, destination, trip duration etc.
Destination is an important factor as premiums e.g. a trip to the USA, will reflect the very substantial costs of hospitalisation in the USA.