“No one completely understands what BRCA1 does, in part, because there are many possible mutations, not all of which are understood. In fact, we have discovered that these genes, which we are using to diagnose cancer risk, are actually genes that can make it impossible for some women to develop breast cancer… and we can’t tell which ones. So basing a mastectomy on the presence of one of the two genes is incredibly hard to understand unless there is another cosmetic or psychological motivation.”

— an anonymous molecular biologist