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JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2001 93(13):968-970; doi:10.1093/jnci/93.13.968
© 2001 by Oxford University Press
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Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 93, No. 13, 968-970, July 4, 2001
© 2001 Oxford University Press

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Experts Question Validity of PSA Testing for Life Insurance Policies

Tom Reynolds

Around age 50, a man faces the decision of whether to have a prostate-specific antigen test—a decision that might save his life from cancer but may also lead to difficult treatment choices and debilitating side effects.

For men seeking a sizable life insurance policy at this age, another factor is increasingly likely to weigh in: no PSA test, no policy. With many companies, PSA level has become part of a standard battery of blood tests, along with HIV, cholesterol, liver enzymes, and other predictors of premature death.

Steven H. Woolf, M.D., of Virginia Commonwealth University, Fairfax, Va., noted that tests such as a blood cell count or a cholesterol test as part of a physical have less onerous consequences because the results have valid health significance.

However, "most major medical groups recommend that men not have the PSA test without receiving counseling from their physician, because they face a substantial . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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