What does a negative genetic test result mean?

A negative genetic test result means no harmful change was found with current technology, but its meaning depends on your family history.

The National Cancer Institute describes two situations. If a specific change is already known in your family and your test does not find it, that is a true negative — your risk is about the same as the general population. If there is a strong family history of cancer but no known change has been found in the family, the result is an uninformative negative, and an undetected change may still be present.

Either way, a negative result does not mean zero cancer risk. Everyone still has some risk, and your personal and family history may mean added screening is worthwhile. A care team or genetic counselor can make sure your follow-up fits your situation.