AXA PPP healthcare has improved the prostate cancer diagnosis pathway for its individual, SME and large corporate members.
The insurer has teamed up with Check4Cancer, a provider of screening and diagnostic cancer services, to enable members with suspected prostate cancer to undergo a detailed MRI of the prostate before undergoing biopsy.
The PROMIS trial published in 2017 revealed almost 30% of men would have been able to avoid having a biopsy if the scan was normal.
Any suspicious areas can then be targeted, thereby maximising the likelihood of making the correct diagnosis.
AXA PPP said its new approach, available from 26 November, removes the prospect of men having to face the invasive procedure by default at the outset.
The insurer is also working with Check4Cancer to fast-track cases where members are concerned about skin or breast cancer.
From 1 January 2019, any individual, SME or large corporate member who experiences signs or symptoms of skin cancer does not need to wait to see their GP for a referral. Instead, they can call AXA PPP for early diagnosis and eligible treatment.
The health insurer is also making this new approach available from 1 January to members of large corporate schemes who are affected by signs or symptoms of breast cancer.
Sarah Taylor, AXA PPP healthcare’s head of specialist and practitioner relations, said not knowing is worrying and waiting makes it worse.
“We’re confident that our members will find the options we’re introducing for cancer diagnosis and care reassuring at what can be a troubling time in their lives,” she added.