Tumor marker study: the Transamerica experience 1990-1995.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Biomarkers
• Life Insurance Risk Assessment

Background:

• Transamerica Occidental Life implemented Tumor Associated Antigen (TAA) screening for life insurance applicants between 1990 and 1995.
• The screening aimed to detect cancer among individuals applying for life insurance policies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of Tumor Associated Antigen (TAA) as a screening tool for identifying cancer in life insurance applicants.
• To determine if TAA screening met the required sensitivity and specificity standards for underwriting.

Main Methods:

• A large cohort of 110,299 life insurance applicants were screened for Tumor Associated Antigen (TAA).
• Positive TAA levels were identified in 13,829 applicants, leading to further evaluation.
• A subset of 255 applicants were declined based on TAA results and subsequent assessments.

Main Results:

• A significant number of applicants (13,829) showed positive levels of Tumor Associated Antigen (TAA).
• Despite positive TAA findings, only 255 applicants were ultimately declined for life insurance.
• The number of positive TAA results did not directly correlate with a high rate of declined applications.

Conclusions:

• Tumor Associated Antigen (TAA) screening demonstrated insufficient sensitivity for detecting cancer in the studied population.
• The specificity of TAA screening was also inadequate, leading to questionable utility for life insurance underwriting.
• TAA screening was deemed unsuitable as a reliable tool for cancer detection in the context of life insurance applications.