Half of all breast cancers happen in women under 50.
Free genetic testing for hereditary cancer mutations now available through SUS, targeting high-risk women with personal or family history of breast and ovarian cancer. Mammography screening expanded from ages 50-69 to 40-74, addressing that 50% of breast cancer cases occur in women under 50, improving early detection rates.
- 2,000 genetic tests per year budgeted at R$9.8 million total
- Mammography screening expanded from ages 50-69 to 40-74
- 6,907 new breast cancer cases in Minas Gerais in 2024; 1,932 deaths that year
- Program launches early 2026 via partnership with Federal University of Minas Gerais
- R$77 million spent on digital mammography equipment for 62 institutions across 45 cities
Minas Gerais will offer free BRCA1/BRCA2 genetic testing through the public health system starting 2026, with 2,000 annual tests budgeted at R$9.8 million. The state also expanded mammography screening to women aged 40-74.
Minas Gerais is about to change how it catches hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Starting in early 2026, women in the state will be able to walk into a public health clinic and request a free genetic test—a simple blood draw or saliva sample—to learn whether they carry mutations in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, markers that sharply increase the risk of developing these diseases. The state government announced the program on Tuesday in Belo Horizonte, committing R$1.1 million per test with a budget for 2,000 exams annually, totaling more than R$9.8 million in public spending. Vice-governor Mateus Simões and Health Secretary Fábio Baccheretti framed the initiative as a way to catch cancer earlier, when treatment is most effective, and to give women with family histories of the disease the clarity they need to make informed decisions about their own health.
The test itself requires no fasting and no doctor's referral. A woman can simply show up at her local health post and ask for it. The result comes back as positive, negative, or inconclusive. A positive result does not mean cancer will develop—it means the risk is elevated and warrants close monitoring. What matters is what comes next: the state has already guaranteed that the full arsenal of cancer treatment will be available to anyone who needs it, including surgery, breast reconstruction, chemotherapy, radiation, hormone therapy, and targeted therapies. The program will run through a partnership with the Federal University of Minas Gerais, which will also train doctors and nurses and facilitate case discussions via telemedicine.
This announcement sits within a broader push to catch breast cancer earlier across the entire state. Minas Gerais has also expanded mammography screening to women aged 40 to 74, checking every two years instead of the previous protocol that began at age 50. The reason is stark: half of all breast cancer cases in the state occur in women under 50. By lowering the age threshold and removing the requirement for a doctor's recommendation, the government is betting that more women will get screened, and more cancers will be found while they are still treatable. No appointment with a physician is needed to book a mammogram. The state has already spent R$77 million on digital mammography equipment for 62 institutions across 45 municipalities.
The numbers tell the story of why this matters. In 2024, Minas Gerais recorded 6,907 new cases of breast cancer and 1,932 deaths from the disease. Through August 2025, another 1,038 women had died. These are not abstract figures. Elania Abreu Dutra, a 37-year-old early childhood educator, was diagnosed with breast cancer and sees the new program as a lifeline not just for herself but for her family members who carry the same genetic risk. She spoke of the relief that comes with knowing that if a genetic test reveals a mutation, she could pursue preventive surgery to stop the cancer from returning. For her, and for thousands of women like her, the ability to access this test without cost or bureaucratic delay represents a shift in how the state treats cancer—not as something to manage after it appears, but as something to intercept before it takes hold.
The state has been building toward this moment. In 2024, Minas Gerais launched a program called Cuidar na Hora Certa—Care at the Right Time—with R$24.4 million in annual funding. The initiative works across five main areas: expanding mammography screening, reaching all regions of the state, cutting the time between a suspicious finding and a biopsy, strengthening surveillance of cases, and accelerating the path from diagnosis to treatment. The state now has 32 hospitals certified to handle complex oncology cases, four comprehensive cancer centers, and one general hospital with advanced surgical oncology capacity. The genetic testing program is the newest piece of this infrastructure, and it will be guided by specific protocols and criteria that the Health Secretary will publish in the coming months.
The program is set to begin in early 2026, after the formal agreement with the university is finalized and the operational details are worked out with the public health network. For now, the state is preparing the ground: defining who qualifies (women with personal or family histories of breast or ovarian cancer, identified as high genetic risk), training the workforce, and establishing the referral pathways that will move women from a positive test result into appropriate monitoring and, if needed, preventive or therapeutic care. The test itself is straightforward. The infrastructure to act on the results is already in place. What remains is the rollout—and the hope that catching cancer earlier, in women who know they are at risk, will bend the curve on a disease that has claimed nearly 2,000 lives in Minas Gerais in the past year alone.
Notable Quotes
A positive result does not mean the disease will develop, but indicates increased risk requiring continuous monitoring.— Health Secretary Fábio Baccheretti, describing what a positive genetic test means
The test brings more tranquility for me, my daughter, my family, and my treatment, because if an alteration is detected, I can pursue preventive surgery to stop the tumor from returning.— Elania Abreu Dutra, 37-year-old breast cancer patient
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a genetic test matter if the state already covers cancer treatment?
Because knowing you carry the mutation changes everything before cancer appears. You can have preventive surgery, get screened more often, start monitoring earlier. It's the difference between treating a disease and preventing it.
Who gets access to this test?
Women with a personal history of breast or ovarian cancer, or a family member who had it. The state will publish specific criteria, but the idea is to focus on women at genuinely high genetic risk, not screen everyone.
Why expand mammography to women under 50?
Because half of breast cancers in Minas happen in women under 50. The old protocol started at 50, which meant thousands of women were falling through the gap. It's a simple math problem.
What happens if someone tests positive?
It doesn't mean they have cancer. It means their risk is elevated. They get close monitoring, and if they want, they can pursue preventive surgery. The state covers all of it.
When does this actually start?
Early 2026. They're still finalizing the partnership with the university and working out the logistics with the health network. But the money is committed and the framework is set.
What's the real barrier this removes?
Cost and access. A genetic test for BRCA mutations can be expensive in the private system. Now a woman can walk into a public clinic and get it free, no referral needed. That changes who gets tested.