Bright Grey has improved its critical illness definition for cancer for personal and business protection menu plans.

The definition has been improved by extending cover for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and two of the most common types of skin cancer, which takes it beyond the ABI statement of best practice and classes it as ABI+.

The additional cover is for:

• chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, where a clear unequivocal diagnosis is made, but has not progressed to Binet Stage A
• two of the most common types of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma where they have invaded and spread to lymph nodes or metastasised to distant organs

Basal cell carcinoma, or BCC, is a cancer of the basal cells at the bottom of the epidermis. It makes up more than 75% of all skin cancers in the UK.

Squamous cell carcinoma, or SCC, is a cancer of the cells (called keratinocytes) found in the outermost layer of the skin (the epidermis) and is the second most common type of skin cancer in the UK – making up 20% of skin cancers.

Bright Grey’s menu products provide cover for 45 illness definitions, with 41 paying the full amount of cover and 4 paying out a smaller lump sum in addition to the full cover. 11 of Bright Grey’s definitions are now classed as ABI+ by exceeding the ABI’s standard definitions.

Ian Smart, head of product development and technical support, Bright Grey, said: “When you consider that the single biggest cause of claims on a critical illness policy is cancer, it makes it so important to make sure that the definition is as wide reaching and robust as possible.

“Although we are seeing more people being diagnosed with cancer, we are also seeing more people surviving it as well. This emphasises a much greater need for protection and putting a financial safety net in place. Everyone should be encouraged to have some critical illness cover in place to help take away money worries should the worst happen.”