7 Common Myths About Genetic Testing for Cancer (and the Truth Behind Them)

By Amanda Shrewsbury, MS, CGC

Genetic testing for cancer has come a long way in the past two decades. What used to be a rarely offered, expensive, and limited test is now a widely available, affordable, and comprehensive tool that can meaningfully change how we screen for, prevent, and treat cancer. But the conversation around genetic testing hasn't kept up with the science. A lot of misconceptions linger, and they're the reason many people who would benefit from testing never get it.

These are the seven myths we hear most often, and what's actually true.

Myth 1: "If No One in My Family Has Had Cancer, I Don't Need Genetic Testing"

The reality: A strong family history is one of several reasons to consider genetic testing, but it's not the only one. About 10% of all cancers are hereditary, and many people who carry a pathogenic variant (a DNA change that increases cancer risk) don't have an obvious family history.

There are a few reasons this happens. Small families with few relatives of the same sex may not reveal a pattern. Variants can skip appearing for a generation if carriers happen not to develop cancer (which is possible but not guaranteed with incomplete penetrance). Adoption, estrangement, or incomplete records may obscure the picture. And some variants arise de novo, meaning they occur for the first time in a person without being inherited from a parent.

If you have a personal history of early-onset cancer, a specific cancer type strongly associated with hereditary syndromes (like ovarian, pancreatic, or male breast cancer), or Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, genetic testing may still be appropriate even without a striking family history. (See: What Your Family Tree Might Be Telling You About Cancer Risk.)

Myth 2: "Genetic Testing Will Affect My Health Insurance"

The reality: Federal law protects you. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), passed in 2008, prohibits health insurance companies from using genetic information to deny coverage, raise premiums, or classify genetic information as a pre-existing condition (NCI, 2024; FORCE, 2024). GINA applies to group and individual health plans nationwide.

A few important caveats to know. GINA does not apply to life insurance, disability insurance, or long-term care insurance. If you're considering those policies, some people choose to secure them before genetic testing. Some state laws (including Colorado) provide additional protections. GINA also has limited exceptions for small employers (fewer than 15 employees), military health plans, and a few other contexts.

For most people pursuing genetic testing for hereditary cancer risk, GINA provides meaningful and substantial protection. This is something your genetic counselor can walk through with you in detail before any testing is done. (See: Genetic Testing and Insurance: What's Actually Covered and What Are Your Rights?.)

Myth 3: "A Negative Genetic Test Result Means I'm in the Clear"

The reality: It depends on what the test looked at and your family context. There are actually two very different kinds of negative results.

A true negative means that a known pathogenic variant has been identified in your family, and you were tested for that specific variant and don't carry it. In this case, your cancer risk returns to the general population level for the cancers associated with that variant.

An uninformative negative means that testing didn't identify a pathogenic variant in the genes examined, but your family history may still suggest a hereditary cancer syndrome caused by a variant that wasn't detected or in a gene that wasn't tested. In this case, enhanced screening may still be recommended based on your family history alone.

A negative result on a direct-to-consumer test like 23andMe is also not the same as a comprehensive clinical evaluation. 23andMe's expanded BRCA report only detects about 30–40% of BRCA variants in the general population. A negative DTC result may simply mean the test didn't include your specific variant. (For a fuller explanation of what different results mean, see: What Your Genetic Test Results Actually Mean.)

Myth 4: "Genetic Testing Is Only for Women"

The reality: Hereditary cancer syndromes don't discriminate by sex. Many of the genes involved, including BRCA1, BRCA2, and the mismatch repair genes associated with Lynch syndrome, are on autosomes (non-sex chromosomes), which means men inherit, carry, and pass them on at the same rate as women. And for several cancers, men with these variants face meaningfully elevated risks.

Men with a BRCA2 variant face up to a 60% lifetime risk of prostate cancer (Nyberg et al., 2020), along with elevated risks for male breast, pancreatic, and (more modestly) melanoma. Men with Lynch syndrome face colorectal cancer risks at the higher end of the 50–80% lifetime range for some genes.

Because hereditary cancer awareness has centered so heavily on breast and ovarian cancer, many men don't realize genetic testing applies to them. But it does. (See: Men and Hereditary Cancer: What You Need to Know.)

Myth 5: "A Positive Result Means I'll Definitely Get Cancer"

The reality: A positive result means you have a significantly increased risk of certain cancers, not a guarantee. Even high-penetrance variants like those in BRCA1 don't result in cancer for every carrier. For example, BRCA1 is associated with a 55–72% lifetime breast cancer risk, meaning 28–45% of carriers won't develop breast cancer.

What a positive result gives you is the opportunity to actively manage your risk. Enhanced screening can catch cancers early when they're most treatable. Risk-reducing medications or surgeries can dramatically lower risk. And in some cases, lifestyle and chemoprevention strategies (like daily low-dose aspirin for Lynch syndrome) can further reduce risk.

A positive result isn't a diagnosis. It's information that lets you take action before cancer develops.

Myth 6: "Genetic Testing Is Too Expensive"

The reality: Costs have dropped dramatically over the past decade. Clinical genetic testing that cost thousands of dollars fifteen years ago now typically costs $250 or less out-of-pocket, and insurance often covers it when NCCN criteria are met.

A few options worth knowing about:

Lab-based financial assistance. Most major genetic testing laboratories (including Ambry, Invitae, Myriad, and others) offer financial assistance programs based on income and household size. These programs can significantly reduce or, in some cases, eliminate out-of-pocket costs for qualifying patients. Your genetic counselor can help you identify which lab and which assistance program may be right for your situation.

HSA and FSA funds. Genetic testing is considered a qualified medical expense, which means you can typically pay for it using a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA) if you have one. The same applies to genetic counseling visits. Using pre-tax dollars effectively reduces the cost by your tax bracket.

Payment plans. Some labs offer interest-free payment plans (Ambry, for example, offers a two-year, zero-percent repayment option), which can break the cost into manageable monthly amounts.

Self-pay transparency. At ClearPath Genetics, our self-pay pricing is $400 for the complete two-appointment package, with the laboratory test itself typically $250 out-of-pocket. For some families, the total cost is less than a single out-of-network specialist visit.

Cost shouldn't be the reason someone skips testing that could meaningfully change their health trajectory. If finances are a concern, that's exactly the kind of question to bring to a pre-test counseling session.

Myth 7: "I Can Just Order a Test Online"

The reality: You can, but it's not the same thing as clinical genetic testing, and it's not designed to answer the same questions. Direct-to-consumer (DTC) tests, ancestry tests, and nutrigenomic panels each serve different purposes, use different technology, and have different limitations.

For hereditary cancer risk assessment, what you want is clinical-grade multigene panel testing processed in a CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited laboratory, with results interpreted by a genetic counselor who can put the findings in the context of your personal and family history. A DTC test can't replace that conversation, no matter how well-marketed the product is.

If you've already taken a DTC test and aren't sure what it covered or what the results mean, that's one of the most common reasons to talk to a genetic counselor. (See: Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing vs. Clinical Genetic Testing: What's the Difference?.)

The Through-Line

The thread connecting all seven of these myths is the same: genetic testing for cancer is more accessible, more protective, and more nuanced than most people assume. The information is good news for most people, even if it's sometimes hard to know where to start.

If you have questions about whether testing is right for you, or if you've heard any of these myths repeated and want a clearer picture, that's exactly what genetic counseling is for.

Have a question? Reach out anytime:

References

  • FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered). (2024). Protections against genetic discrimination: The ACA and GINA. https://www.facingourrisk.org
  • National Cancer Institute. (2024). Genetic testing fact sheet. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/genetics/genetic-testing-fact-sheet
  • National Cancer Institute. (2024). BRCA gene changes: Cancer risk and genetic testing fact sheet. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/genetics/brca-fact-sheet
  • National Human Genome Research Institute. (2024). Genetic discrimination and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). https://www.genome.gov
  • Nyberg, T., Frost, D., Barrowdale, D., et al. (2020). Prostate cancer risks for male BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers: A prospective cohort study. European Urology, 77(1), 24–35.

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This blog post is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or insurance advice. Visit clearpathgenetics.com to learn more. © 2026 ClearPath Genetics, LLC. All rights reserved.