Prostate Cancer Awareness Month: Myriad Genetics working to educate public about hereditary cancer risk assessment
Eligible Patients Can Use the myRisk® Hereditary Cancer Test to Help Improve Their Care and Potentially Prevent Cancer in Their Family Members
Myriad Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ:MYGN), a leader in molecular diagnostics and personalized medicine, is working to educate the public about hereditary cancer risk assessment and testing during Prostate Cancer Awareness Month this September. With 2.9 million men living with prostate cancer, it is now the second leading form of cancer in the United States, killing one man every 19 minutes. Up to 15 percent of prostate cancers are due to an inherited mutation. Myriad’s myRisk® Hereditary Cancer test is an effective tool to assess genetic mutations in men diagnosed with prostate cancer.
“We are proud to be leaders in the field of prostate cancer and myRisk is an excellent complement to our existing prostate cancer prognostic test, Prolaris, to further enhance physicians’ ability to individualize care for patients with prostate cancer,” said Johnathan Lancaster, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer, Myriad Genetics. “We are pleased to bring myRisk’s quality and accuracy in prostate cancer genetics to physicians who are working tirelessly to help patients and their children protect their health in the future.”
Men with prostate cancer who have hereditary gene mutations experience poorer outcomes associated with higher likelihood of metastasis/disease spread. Furthermore, mutations in cancercausing genes put men at risk for secondary cancers like pancreatic, colon, melanoma, kidney, brain and others. Because of the increased risks, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) instituted guidelines encouraging men with prostate cancer, who have a family history of cancer and a Gleason score of seven or higher, to undergo genetic testing. A Gleason score is a tool that helps physicians classify the staging and grades of prostate cancer.
“I am actively testing my patients because data show that hereditary gene mutations, such as those found in both the BRAC1 and BRAC2 genes, cause higher rates of aggressive prostate cancer,” said Neil Mariados, M.D., Syracuse Radiation Oncology. “By using myRisk, I am helping my patients create plans to mitigate their cancer risk and protect their children, who have a 50 percent chance of inheriting these gene mutations if their father is found to be a mutation-carrier.”
Backed by more than 25 years of molecular diagnostics experience and more than 2.7 million people tested, the myRisk Hereditary Cancer test is the leading genetic test for hereditary cancer risk assessment. myRisk uses an extensive amount of sophisticated technologies and proprietary algorithms to evaluate 28 clinically-significant genes associated with eight hereditary cancer sites including: breast, colon, ovarian, endometrial, pancreatic, gastric cancers, melanoma, and prostate.
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