BOSTON -- A controversial advertising and marketing campaign for a genetic test that claims to be able to tell women their lifetime risk of breast and ovarian cancer has some genetic cancer specialists in Boston concerned.

Television ads for Myriad Genetics' BRACAnalysis test started running in Boston and few other cities last week. The company is also planning ads in major magazines, newspapers and direct mailings.

"Breast cancer runs in my family," a woman featured in the television ad said. Another woman adds, "I realized I could choose to find ways to reduce my risk now."

Each BRACAnalysis test costs $3,120. According to the company, insurance companies often pay for up to 90 percent, with the balance paid by patients.

Dr. Judy Garber specializes in genetic risks at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She says she is worried about women who are scared into screening.

"Having a positive test for BRCA 1 or 2 is pretty scary news," she said. "The choices you come to face are difficult."

Women who test positive for the BRCA 1 or 2 gene have a 50 to 80 percent chance of getting breast cancer during their life, compared to a 12 percent risk in the general population. Being BRCA 1 or 2 positive increases a woman’s risk of ovarian cancer to 40 percent, compared with a 1 percent risk in the general population.

"You want to be sure you are ready to deal with the answer to the test. What if you find something? Have you considered what that will mean for you? What if test is negative? It doesn't necessarily mean you're off the hook," Garber said.

Only 5 to 10 percent of cancers are caused by a genetic mutation.

The president of the Massachusetts Medical Society told NewsCenter 5 he has "a lot of reservations about the unintended consequences" of Myriad's screening. Dr. B. Dale Magee said that he is is especially concerned about the risk of false positives that could lead to further, expensive tests.

"I think you could still argue here that these choices are very difficult and you don't want to raise this in people who have never considered this before," said Garber.

But Myriad Genetics insist their test could save lives. They say 97 percent of women who are BRCA 1 or 2 positive don't know it.

"I think it’s completely reasonable, still, to ask your own doctor if genetic testing is right for you," said Garber. "But not all patients should have this test."

Several Boston-based experts told NewsCenter 5 it is critically important to ask for a referral from your primary care physician to a genetic expert who specializes in helping women interpret the results.

Myriad said they are confident that their advertising message is selective enough that women who do not need genetic screenings will know the ads are not aimed at them. Women featured in the television ad state, "BRACAnalysis is a blood test that's helped thousands find out their risk for hereditary breast and ovarian cancer."

Myriad said they already have similar genetic screening tests available for hereditary colon cancer and melanoma.