Journal of Insurance Medicine

Breast cancer remains the most common non-cutaneous malignancy in women in both Europe and the United States and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. In this breast cancer mortality and survival study, a US retrospective population-based analysis of 656,501 microscopically confirmed breast cancer cases, 1975-2019, data is derived from the NCI Surveillance Epidemiology & End Results Program, SEER*Stat 8.4.0.1.

Cancer of the tongue is an uncommon cancer site, with only 31,378 cases in the SEER 1975-2017 database, fewer than 1% of all reported cancers. This article updates trends in incidence, prevalence, short and long-term survival and mortality of tongue carcinoma.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

ChatGPT is about to make major inroads into clinical medicine. This article discusses the pros and cons of its use.

NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) and NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) are time-honored acronyms, with widely popular acceptance. Experts now recommend discarding them in favor of MASLD for "metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease" and MASH for "metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis." The reasons for this change are explored and an argument about why the change is confusing, is advanced. Should these acronyms become clinically popular, risk assessment manuals will require updates...

This commentary article highlights the need for an insurance product for hospital-employed physicians that provides coverage against sham peer review and a complete defense against wrongful hospital allegations of incompetent, whistleblowing, or disruptive behavior.

Pituitary adenomas were recently reclassified as "neuroendocrine tumors," and are now considered to be cancers. The evolution and justification for this change are described. Critical illness policies, which currently provide coverage of pituitary adenomas under the "Benign Brain Tumor" provision must now be modified to reflect this new taxonomy. This change also prompts questions about the use of the words 'benign' and 'tumor' in critical illness policies.

UNLABELLED: During the past 5 decades, there have been reports of increases in the incidence and mortality rates of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in the United States and globally. The ability to address the epidemiologic diversity, prognosis and treatment of NHL depends on the use of an accurate and consistent classification system. Historically, uniform treatment for NHL has been hampered by the lack of a systematic taxonomy of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Before 1982, there were 6 competing classification schemes with contending terminologies for NHL: the Rappaport, Lukes-Collins, Kiel, World Health Organization, British, and Dorfman systems without consensus as to which system is most satisfactory regarding clinical relevance, scientific accuracy and reproducibility and presenting a difficult task for abstractors of incidence information...

INTRODUCTION: -Due to early detection and improved therapies, the prevalence of long-term breast cancer survivors is increasing. This has increased the need for more inclusive underwriting in individuals with a history of breast cancer. Herein, we developed a method using algorithm aiming facilitating the underwriting of multiple parameters in breast cancer survivors. METHODS: -Variables and data were extracted from the SEER database and analyzed using 4 different machine learning based algorithms (Logistic Regression, GA2M, Random Forest, and XGBoost) that were compared with Kaplan Meier survival estimates...

OBJECTIVES: -To document the various laboratory and demographic/historical correlates of NT-proBNP levels in applicants for life insurance, and to explore the accuracy of a prediction model based on those variables. METHOD: -NT-proBNP blood test results were obtained from 1.34 million insurance applicants between the age of 50 and 85 years, beginning in 2003. Exploratory data analysis was carried out to document correlations with other laboratory variables, sex, age, and the presence of relevant diseases...

OBJECTIVE: -Determine the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination in a population applying for life insurance. SETTING: -This is a cross-sectional study of 2584 US life insurance applicants, to determine the seroprevalence of antibodies to COVID-19. This convenience sample was selected on two consecutive days April 25-26, 2022. RESULTS: -For COVID-19, 97.3% are seropositive, and 63.9% have antibodies to nucleocapsid protein, a marker of prior infection...

As life insurance companies evaluate prospective health and wellness programs, one frequently used tool is the number needed to treat (NNT) calculation. It is helpful to identify what the NNT might be for individual components of the program as well as for the whole program when all components are combined.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

As the COVID-19 pandemic reaches the end of its third year, and as COVID-related mortality in North America wanes, long Covid and its disabling symptoms are attracting more attention. Some individuals report symptoms lasting more than 2 years, and a subset report continuing disability. This article will provide an update on long Covid, with a particular focus on disease prevalence, disability, symptom clustering and risk factors. It will also discuss the longer-term outlook for individuals with long Covid.

As the COVID-19 pandemic reaches the end of its third year, and as COVID-related mortality in North America wanes, long Covid and its disabling symptoms are attracting more attention. Some individuals report symptoms lasting more than 2 years, and a subset report continuing disability. This article will provide an update on long Covid, with a particular focus on disease prevalence, disability, symptom clustering and risk factors. It will also discuss the longer-term outlook for individuals with long Covid.

OBJECTIVE: -Determine the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination in a population applying for life insurance. SETTING: -This is a cross-sectional study of 2584 US life insurance applicants, to determine the seroprevalence of antibodies to COVID-19. This convenience sample was selected on two consecutive days April 25-26, 2022. RESULTS: -For COVID-19, 97.3% are seropositive, and 63.9% have antibodies to nucleocapsid protein, a marker of prior infection...

OBJECTIVE: -Explore the impact of proactive outreach to a health plan population during COVID-19 pandemic in New Mexico. BACKGROUND: -By March 2020, the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was a global pandemic, circulating in more than 114 countries. As more information about virus transmission, symptoms, and comorbidities were reported over time, recommendations for reducing the spread of the virus within communities was provided by leading health organizations like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)...

This report summarizes the incidence, relative frequency distributions and survival & mortality by age, sex, stage and grade, of adult invasive primary cancers of the lip in two entrant time-periods as recorded in the SEER Program of the National Cancer Institute for diagnosis years 1973-2014 (SEER Stat 8.3.5). While the occurrence rates and frequency are low in the United States, they are exceptionally important from a clinical and surgical standpoint because of the morphological and functional changes involved...

Detecting undisclosed methamphetamine and heroin abuse is a challenge for life underwriters and medical directors. A common clinical assumption is that if substance abusers experience liver damage, it will be indicated by elevated serum transaminases. The following case suggests that assumption may not be true for heavy substance abusers who consume no or minimal alcohol. This report describes a 44-year-old male with long-term use of inhaled combined methamphetamine and heroin ("speedballs") and minimal alcohol use, whose transaminases remained normal while episodes of acute liver failure and transient hepatic encephalopathy from hyperammonemia were observed...