Cancer kills more women than men, says Irish Life

Significantly more women than men die of cancer every year, according to figures from an insurance company.

An Irish Life analysis of claimants found that 48% of women died of cancer last year, compared to 39% of men, but men had higher rates of heart-related deaths and illnesses.

The analysis shows cancer accounted for 41% of life insurance claims last year and 64% for specified illness claims.

Heart-related conditions accounted for 13% of deaths and specified illnesses for 18%. Heart-related conditions were the cause of death for twice as many men (16%) as women (8%). Men also accounted for four-in-every-five specified illness claims paid for heart-related conditions.

While cancer accounted for a similar proportion of specified illness claims for both men and women, both sexes experienced different cancer-related illnesses.

Breast cancer was the main cancer for women, followed by cervical cancer, while for men, prostate cancer was the main cause, followed by lung and colon cancers.

In the case of income protection, mental health illness was the cause of most claims paid, accounting for almost one-in-five (19%) of those unable to work during the year.

Back pain and cancer were the second most frequent conditions for income protection claims, at 14% for each of these conditions.

The insurance company paid out €204m to customers and their families affected by injury, illness, and death last year, with payments made for 5,449 life insurance, specified illness cover, and income protection claims.

Around €4m a week was paid to people and families affected by illness and death, with 40% of specified illness claims made to people under 50 years of age. The largest life insurance claim of €938,000 was paid out to the family of a man in his 50s who died of colon cancer.

Of the life insurance claims, 7%, or 104, were paid for accidental death — €13.2m. The accidental death rate for men (8%) was higher than that for women (3%).

The average age of people for accidental death claims was 47 and over 80% were men. Road traffic accidents accounted for 17% of accidental deaths.

Irish Life found that many people diagnosed with a terminal illness likely to lead to death within 12 months did not realise they may be eligible to claim some, or all, of their life insurance benefits before death.

It noticed that the number of terminal illness claims had fallen from 55 in 2014 to 31 last year.

Irish Life’s head of underwriting and protection claims, Martin Duffy, said 95% of claims received last year were paid and those declined were for non-disclosure of medical information or because the illness was not covered. While almost two thirds of life insurance claims were for men, the proportion was more evenly spread between the sexes for specified illness claims, with 55% of cover paid to men.