Overview

• The TODAY Plaza Pink Power event featured Jill Martin and Sheryl Crow urging viewers to sign up for hereditary cancer genetic testing.
• JScreen is supplying mail-in saliva kits to interested viewers and offers virtual appointments with genetic counselors after results, according to CEO Dr. Matt Goldstein.
• Martin, now cancer-free after a 2023 BRCA2-linked diagnosis, says the test identified her risk despite recent clear imaging and led to treatment she believes saved her life.
• Clinicians recommend testing for people with strong family histories of breast, ovarian, pancreatic or prostate cancers and for certain higher-risk groups such as those with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, with results reviewed alongside genetic counselors and physicians.
• Local cases in Rochester show testing prompting preventive surgeries and earlier detection, while reports note insurance often covers eligible testing and that a negative result does not eliminate cancer risk.