Not every woman should get the BRCA gene test, U.S. task force says - latimes.com

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"Certain mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes can increase a woman's chances of developing breast cancer or ovarian cancer dramatically. But that doesn't mean all women should line up for laboratory testing to see if they have those risky versions of the genes, members of a government panel said Monday......

" In its report, the task force outlined the risks faced by women who have the dangerous mutations. In the general population, 12.8% of women are expected to develop breast cancer and 2.8% will die from it; 1.4% are expected to get ovarian cancer and 1% to die from it. But the chances climb steeply for women with the harmful BRCA variants, with the likelihood of getting breast cancer by age 70 increased to 34% to 70%. Bad versions of BRCA1 increase ovarian cancer risk by the age of 70 to 41% to 46%; BRCA2 mutations, to 17% to 23%."