The ABI Critical Illness (CI) Working Party is in the process of reviewing its Statement of Best P...
The ABI Critical Illness (CI) Working Party is in the process of reviewing its Statement of Best Practice for Critical Illness cover.
The review will consider five key points including final changes to the cancer definition, follow- ing the launch of the Govern- ment's prostate cancer management programme last year.
After extensive consultation, changes to the wording of the cancer definition have now been agreed. It will include an extra bullet point on the current definition regarding prostate cancer, so both aggressive and more advanced slower progressing cases will be covered. An additional change to the wording of skin cancer exclusions so only malignant invasive melanoma is covered, has also been agreed.
'It has been a lengthy process, but we have finished further consultation with the medical profession so this definition is final ' there are no changes from the last version,' said Nick Kirwan, chairman of the ABI CI Working Party.
The final definition, to be included in the revised Statement of Best Practice, is as follows: 'Any malignant tumour characterised by the uncontrolled growth and spread of malignant cells and invasion of tissue. The term cancer includes leukemia and Hodgkin's disease, but the following are excluded:
• All tumours histologically described as pre-malignant, as non-invasive or as cancer in situ.
• All tumours of the prostate unless histologically classified as having a Gleason score greater than six, or having progressed to at least TNM classification T2N0M0.
• All forms of lymphoma in the presence of any Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).
• Kaposi's sarcoma in the presence of HIV.
• Any skin cancer other than invasive malignant melanoma.'
Other points to be considered include changes to the heart attack definition ' as reported in the story above ' conditions and exclusions, key features wordings and the ABI's consumer guide to CI cover.
• Comments on the review will be welcomed by the ABI before 19 April 2002.
