--- 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: 2026-08-04T07:59:21.649Z 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=800&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 800 og:image:height: 450 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=800&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # New Genetic Test for Breast Cancer Would Be Cheaper and Easier > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## 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 Genomics Color 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. \[[_The New York Times_](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/21/business/more-accurate-affordable-tests-for-detecting-breast-cancer-genes.html?%5Fr=0)\] ## Transcript Actress Angelina Jolie is taking even more preventative measures against developing certain types of cancer she has a family history of. The 39 year old revealed in a New York Times essay she's had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed. This after she underwent a preventive mastectomy in 2013. Two years ago, the star revealed she carries a gene mutation called BRCA1. Which put her at an 87 % risk of breast cancer and a 50 % risk of ovarian cancer, according to her doctor's estimates. In her newest essay, Jolie revealed she was planning to have the surgery to remove her ovaries and Fallopian tubes for a while now. But had to wrap her brain around the consequences. It is a less complex surgery than the mastectomy, but its effects are more severe. It puts a woman into forced menopause. So I was readying myself physically and emotionally, discussing options with doctors, researching alternative medicine, and mapping my hormones for estrogen or progesterone replacement, Jolie wrote. She planned to put the surgery off for even longer, until a yearly cancer screening test came back showing some inflammatory markers, a potential sign of ovarian cancer. Jolie's mother died from that same type of cancer in 2007. Jolie's candidness about both preventative surgeries has had quite the impact on women getting cancer screenings. In 2014 the BBC reported a study discovered the number of referrals to breast cancer clinics to get genetic testing completed, more than doubled from the previous year. 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