Routine prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing to screen for prostate cancer has been one of the most widely used cancer screening tests. It has also been controversial because there is not clear evidence that PSA testing actually saves lives. In practice, some men have expressed interest in PSA testing, while others have been more willing to forgo testing.
The recently developed Medical Maximizer-Minimizer Scale (MMS) assesses individual differences in preferences for active v. passive medical treatment. We hypothesized that men's maximizing-minimizing preferences might have relevance in the case of PSA screening, since there is considerable variability in men's preference for being screened, even among men who are informed that harm is more likely than benefit.