Researchers believe they may have a new way to test a woman’s risk for breast cancer, even if she doesn’t have an inherited genetic mutation, NBC News reported. The blood test scans for changes in how the DNA functions—specifically the BRCA1 breast cancer gene—rather than mutations. The new method is important because while about 40 percent of breast cancer cases can be explained by genetic susceptibility, the rest can be attributed to diet, exercise, smoking and alcohol use.
