Researchers in Canada have discovered an anomaly in the genes of people with a higher risk of developing critical illness cancer which could lead to a blood test which will help detect tumours earlier and at a time when the disease is more treatable.

This is news that is of course welcomed by all communites, including risk managers and the insurance companies that provide Critical Illness Insurance against less advanced cases of Cancer.

The discovery involved families with a particular inherited disorder Li-Fraumeni syndrome, could also impact on understanding how different kinds of cancer arise in the broader population.

Li-Fraumeni syndrome can increase the chance of developing specific cancers in childhood and early adulthood such as bone and soft tissue cancers, brain tumors and breast cancer. Around 2,000 families are known to have the disorder worldwide, but doctors believe the number is actually larger.

The research showed that the cancers appeared earlier in each following generation.

So, what now? - look for everything at every age? – The NHS medical facilities in the UK would probably crack under the strain! It would be equally impractical and very trying on both the patients and their families.

Believe it or not, women are more likely than men to be diagnosed with cancer or suffer a heart attack before retirement age (25% of women, 20% of men).

Critical illness insurance is specifically designed to ease those financial pressures associated with such serious illnesses or totally disablement as a result.