This genetic test could make breast cancer screenings a lot cheaper

Breast cancer awareness ribbons
(Image credit: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for The Breast Cancer Research Foundation)

A startup company wants to change the way we approach breast cancer screenings.

Color Genomics has developed a way of testing whether women are genetically at risk for breast cancer, and it's a lot less expensive than traditional breast cancer screenings. The saliva test is only $249, which is about a tenth of the cost of other genetic breast cancer screenings, The New York Times reports. The saliva test looks at BRCA1 and BRCA2, the primary genes where mutations can occur and increase the risk of breast cancer, as well as 17 other cancer-risk genes.

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Meghan DeMaria

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.