--- title: 23andMe Just Got FDA Approval for a DNA Cancer Test description: DNA testing company 23andMe Inc. said it got U.S. FDA's approval to offer consumers a test for a hereditary colorectal cancer syndrome. canonical: https://time.com/5510009/23andme-fda-approval-cancer-test/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-01-22T20:39:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T22:33:59.364Z article:section: Health og:title: 23andMe Just Got FDA Approval for a DNA Cancer Test og:description: Originally, 23andMe offered assessments for more than 250 diseases & conditions og:url: https://time.com/5510009/23andme-fda-approval-cancer-test/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt853f1959abf6d8e6/698943c486f68e60dd6eb359/23andme-dna-cancer-tests.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: 23andme-dna-cancer-tests og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 23andMe Just Got FDA Approval for a DNA Cancer Test twitter:description: Originally, 23andMe offered assessments for more than 250 diseases & conditions twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt853f1959abf6d8e6/698943c486f68e60dd6eb359/23andme-dna-cancer-tests.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 23andMe Just Got FDA Approval for a DNA Cancer Test > Sponsored content. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. by [Kristen V. Brown / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Kristen V. Brown / Bloomberg Contributor Jan 22, 2019 8:39 PM UTC  This illustration picture shows a saliva collection kit for a 23andMe DNA testing displayed in Washington DC on Dec. 19, 2018\. On Jan. 22, 2019 23andMe announced they got FDA approval for a cancer DNA test. This illustration picture shows a saliva collection kit for a 23andMe DNA testing displayed in Washington DC on Dec. 19, 2018\. On Jan. 22, 2019 23andMe announced they got FDA approval for a cancer DNA test. Eric Baradat—AFP/Getty Images by [Kristen V. Brown / Bloomberg](https://time.com/author/bloomberg/) ## Kristen V. Brown / Bloomberg Contributor Jan 22, 2019 8:39 PM UTC (Bloomberg) — DNA testing company 23andMe Inc. said it has gotten the green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to offer consumers a test for a hereditary colorectal cancer syndrome. 23andMe said it will now be able to tell customers whether they have two genetic variants that influence MUTYH-associated polyposis, a rare condition associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. The FDA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. ## Key Insights It’s the second test associated with cancer risk for which 23andMe has received FDA clearance. Last March, the Mountain View, California-based firm began offering a report on three genetic variants associated with increased risk of breast cancer in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. The BRCA tests were controversial. Though there are more than 1,000 known BRCA mutations, the 23andMe test focused on three variants most common in people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. The concern was that people not likely at risk for those variants — those not of Ashkenazi descent, for example — would mistake not having the mutations as not having any risk of breast cancer. There is also broad concern about such tests being offered to consumers directly, without the insight of a doctor or genetic counselor to help interpret results and plan any medical care accordingly. ## Know More Hereditary colorectal cancers account for a minority of colorectal cancer cases, only about 5 percent, according to 23andMe. The new tests don’t look at variants associated with Lynch syndrome, the most common form of inherited colorectal cancer. Originally, 23andMe offered assessments for more than 250 diseases and conditions, but in 2013 the FDA cracked down and ordered the company to cease providing analyses of people’s risk factors until the tests’ accuracy could be validated. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5510009/23andme-fda-approval-cancer-test/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5510009/23andme-fda-approval-cancer-test/"},"headline":"23andMe Just Got FDA Approval for a DNA Cancer Test","datePublished":"2019-01-22T20:39:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T22:33:59.364Z","description":"Originally, 23andMe offered assessments for more than 250 diseases & conditions","url":"https://time.com/5510009/23andme-fda-approval-cancer-test/","keywords":["onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt853f1959abf6d8e6/698943c486f68e60dd6eb359/23andme-dna-cancer-tests.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Kristen V. 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