This post has been update to clarify the cost of Color Genomics' confirmation testing.
Following up on a positive result from 23andMe's BRCA health report can be expensive, CNBC reports.
The direct-to-consumer genetic testing company began offering its genetic health risk report on three BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in March after receiving authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration. But both the 23andMe and FDA cautioned that the test only examines a few mutations that are more common among people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent and that people could have other cancer risk-raising mutations not included in the test.
Further, as CNBC adds, 23andMe testing is not done in a clinical lab and so customers should get their results confirmed. That, it says, can be expensive as genetic testing can run up to $2,000, depending on the type of test conducted, and isn't always covered by insurance. Groups like the Center for Genomic Interpretation and National Society of Genetic Counselors, though, have urged confirmatory testing to be covered by payors, as GenomeWeb has reported.
Another company, CNBC adds, is stepping into that gap: Color Genomics is offering a confirmation test in its certified lab that examines 30 hereditary cancer genes for $50 for positive results.
Still, with either a positive or a negative result, genetic counselors can help individuals make sense of what it means and whether the right test was performed, CNBC adds.