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Women who had genetic testing for inherited cancer risk years ago may want to ask about testing again, experts say.

A person's genes don't change. But testing has come a long way, and many early tests looked at only a small slice of what labs can check today, reports The Washington Post.

Testing for breast cancer risk genes began in 1996 and focused on just two genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2. Harmful changes in either one raise the odds of breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

Those early tests for BRCA1 and BRCA2 were patented for years. A patent gives exclusive rights and stops others from making, using or selling it.

In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the patents on those genes and tests. Other labs then began offering "panel" tests that check several dozen genes at once, The Post reported.

Many women tested early on don't know this, said Dr. Sofia Merajver, medical director of the Breast and Ovarian Cancer Risk Evaluation Program at the University of Michigan's Rogel Cancer Center. She estimated that thousands of people may need a new test.

"It's very worthwhile for someone to get retested because if you've only been tested for BRCA1 and 2, you only have part of the story," Dr. Versha Pleasant, director of the Cancer Genetics and Breast Health Program at Von Voigtlander Women's Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, told The Post.

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