Selling Women Fear Through Genetic Testing Advertisements

Myriad is pushing its “BRACAnalysis” genetic test in ads and describes the test as “A genetic test for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer.” However, genetic testing isn’t truly a test for breast and ovarian cancer, but a test for mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes that are believed to be associated with some cases of breast and ovarian cancer. Myriad is attempting to convince women to be afraid of what lurks in their genes (understanding that many women are not knowledgeable about this topic), and to convince them to seek this expensive testing, ultimately benefiting Myriad’s bottom line. To read more click the above light blue link.