--- title: New Genetic Test for Breast Cancer Would Be Cheaper and Easier description: A start-up is developing a new way to test for breast cancer that could revolutionize the cost and system of the testing market. canonical: https://time.com/3829449/breast-cancer-genetic-test-cheap/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-04-21T13:12:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T06:32:39.947Z article:section: Health og:title: New Genetic Test for Breast Cancer Would Be Cheaper and Easier og:description: The test would cost just $249 og:url: https://time.com/3829449/breast-cancer-genetic-test-cheap/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blted0f1bdbf5f1095c/6987ec078e06018b9d45e3b5/color-kit-breast-cancer.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: color-kit-breast-cancer og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: New Genetic Test for Breast Cancer Would Be Cheaper and Easier twitter:description: The test would cost just $249 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blted0f1bdbf5f1095c/6987ec078e06018b9d45e3b5/color-kit-breast-cancer.jpg?branch=production&width=1920&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # New Genetic Test for Breast Cancer Would Be Cheaper and Easier ## Video: Angelina Jolie Had Her Ovaries Removed Due To Cancer Risk [Watch (HLS stream): Angelina Jolie Had Her Ovaries Removed Due To Cancer Risk](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/PX01UmjB.m3u8) (1:28)  _Published 2015-03-24. Angelina Jolie opens up about having her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed in an essay in The New York Times._  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Apr 21, 2015 1:12 PM UTC  Saliva test kit offered by Color Genomics Saliva test kit offered by Color GenomicsColor Genomics  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Apr 21, 2015 1:12 PM UTC A startup is developing a cheaper, easier way of [determining whether women are genetically at risk for breast cancer](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/21/business/more-accurate-affordable-tests-for-detecting-breast-cancer-genes.html?%5Fr=0), in a move that could revolutionize the way women are currently screened for the disease. Currently, genetic testing for breast cancer risk is expensive and usually reserved for women who have a family history of the disease. But the startup Color Genomics is offering a saliva test that would cost only $249, about one-tenth the cost of many other genetic screens for breast cancer, the New York _Times_ reports. The saliva test analyzes BRCA1 and BRCA2, the two primary genes where mutations increase breast cancer risk, along with 17 other genes. Elad Gil, chief executive of Color Genomics, said he wants to “democratize access to genetic testing” and that the low cost of the saliva test means women could pay out of pocket if their insurance company did not cover the test. Still, there are concerns. Some experts worry that the low cost of the test may not include a full analysis, and others raised concerns that greatly expanding the number of women tested could create confusion for those whose test results are unclear. \[[_The New York Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/21/business/more-accurate-affordable-tests-for-detecting-breast-cancer-genes.html?%5Fr=0)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3829449/breast-cancer-genetic-test-cheap/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3829449/breast-cancer-genetic-test-cheap/"},"headline":"New Genetic Test for Breast Cancer Would Be Cheaper and Easier","datePublished":"2015-04-21T13:12:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T06:32:39.947Z","description":"The test would cost just $249","url":"https://time.com/3829449/breast-cancer-genetic-test-cheap/","keywords":["Cancer","Breast Cancer"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blted0f1bdbf5f1095c/6987ec078e06018b9d45e3b5/color-kit-breast-cancer.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tessa Berenson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blted0f1bdbf5f1095c/6987ec078e06018b9d45e3b5/color-kit-breast-cancer.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"color-kit-breast-cancer","caption":"color-kit-breast-cancer","creditText":"Color Genomics","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/cancer/","name":"Cancer"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3829449/breast-cancer-genetic-test-cheap/","name":"New Genetic Test for Breast Cancer Would Be Cheaper and Easier"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Angelina Jolie Had Her Ovaries Removed Due To Cancer Risk","description":"Angelina Jolie opens up about having her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed in an essay in The New York Times.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/PX01UmjB/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-03-24T13:55:10.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/PX01UmjB.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3829449/breast-cancer-genetic-test-cheap/","duration":"PT1M28S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3829449/breast-cancer-genetic-test-cheap/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```