Cancer, one of the most common hereditary diseases, is caused by genetic changes that affect our body’s cell function. According to World Health Organization, every year 14 million people are diagnosed with a type of cancer and 8 million of them do not survive the disease.
There are over 80,000 new cancer cases diagnosed in Romania every year, among which we find breast cancer, ovarian cancer, colorectal or prostate cancer, lung cancer and skin cancer, and 50,000 deaths are caused by the late discovery of the disease every year.
Genetic heritage is found in about 5% to 10% of cancer cases, states the National Institute for Cancer, and hereditary genetic mutations have been associated with over 50 rare oncological cases – multiple tumours in the same organ, rare tumours associated with congenital defects, development of cancer at a very young age.
How can we prevent hereditary cancer?
If one or several members of your family were diagnosed with cancer, oncological specialists highly recommend genetic testing through which the genetic signs of the disease can be easily identified on a healthy patient and can help anticipate the occurrence of the disease.
There are a few genes that play a major part in the hereditary cancer syndrome, which can be identified through genetic testing:
- TP53, a gene that produces proteins that inhibit the growth of the tumour;
- BRCA1 and BRCA 2, which, once they undergo any mutations, are associated with breast and ovarian cancer in women, as well as pancreatic and prostate cancer in men.
- PTEN, another gene that produces proteins that inhibit tumour growth, whose mutations are associated with breast, thyroid or endometrial cancer.
However, even if there is an oncology history in the family and mutations are identified in healthy patients, it is not guaranteed that these will become cancerous tumours at some point.
No matter the medical history in your family, early diagnose of cancer can increase the chances of survival by up to 100%.
In order to support your oncological needs during the process of diagnosis of cancer, including medical check-ups for a second opinion, MediHelp International, together with Lamp Insurance and The New Europe Surgical Academy (NESA) have brought to Romania a new way of oncological funding – the NESAcard.
How does the NESAcard work?
It’s very simple. For a donation of 33 euros/year to NESA, meant to support their oncological research, you receive a card that, in the case of cancer suspicions, will provide you with 2000 euros that can cover cancer diagnostic services.
You can use the card for medical check-ups, medical navigation or second opinion from specialized doctors anywhere in this world, in a clinic of your choice, in order to receive the right diagnose and the proper treatment plan.
You can find out more about the NESAcard, its benefits and claim your own here: www.medihelp.ro/medihope/nesacard/.
International health insurance, a way to cover cancer treatment costs
In the fight with cancer, in order to reduce the medical costs and to make access to high quality medical care easy, some insurance companies have included coverage up to 100% for cancer-related services in their health insurance plans.
Who can benefit from the insurance?
Private health insurance plans can be taken out by individuals as well as companies and, for a daily cost of 2 to 7 euros, it will guarantee an annual coverage of up to 3 million euros, if the patient chooses an international health insurance plan.
The most important benefits of an international health insurance policy are the extended list of medical services it can cover, the high quality medical care, as well as the great range of clinics where the policy can be used.
Cancer-related services, covered in full by international health insurance
- Hospitalization
- Specialized doctors
- Multidisciplinary investigations meant to identify cancer cells
- Cancer treatment (hospitalization, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, drugs and investigations)
- Medical evacuation
Find out more about the NESACARD and claim yours on www.medihelp.ro/medihope/nesacard/, and check out the complete list of benefits of international health insurance www.medihelp.ro.
