Active Surveillance of Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in males (29% of all cancers), the fourth leading cancer killer in Australians (after cancer of the lung, bowel and unknown primary site) and curable if detected early.
Ownership of insurance may influence the patient to choose the active treatment option for maximum financial gain when active surveillance may be just as viable a clinical option. Insurance policies which provide for a partial claim benefit (as much as 20% of the sum insured) for “early stage prostate cancer” often also pay a full benefit when “major interventionist” therapy is performed with curative intent. Early stage prostate cancer is usually defined in these contracts to mean severity up to stage T1 and Gleason Score less than or equal to 5 (See boxes
for explanation).
