This was reflected in the comments made by Jen, a 53-year-old woman who had known she carried a BRCA1/2 mutation for five years: "I mean we're still talking about having a mastectomy in the future, but I don't have any breast cancer in my family so I'm thinking maybe they don't know enough about these genetic mutations yet." The women considered the cancer genetics field to be a young science characterized by new technology, numerous unanswered questions, and evolving knowledge. The gene discussed is BRCA1; the disease is breast carcinoma.