Myriad Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MYGN) has announced new clinical data from a study with myRisk Hereditary Cancer, a 25-gene hereditary cancer panel, that showed a 60 percent increase in mutations detected in cancer predisposition genes in patients with a prior history of colon cancer and/or polyps. Myriad is presenting this clinical study at the Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Colorectal Cancer (CGA) Annual Meeting in Anaheim, Calif.
Patients with a family history of colon cancer also are vulnerable to other cancers including breast, ovarian, endometrial and stomach cancer. The detection of individuals with mutations associated with hereditary colon cancer greatly increases the chances of successful medical management in those at-risk individuals, which will save lives and reduce the downstream healthcare costs. Also, once a patient has been identified as carrying a deleterious mutation that patient's family members can be tested to determine if they have an increased risk of cancer.
"The new data presented at this year's CGA meeting is ground breaking and underscores the importance of using multi-gene panels when testing patients for hereditary colon cancer," said Richard J. Wenstrup, MD, chief medical officer of Myriad. "Importantly, the data suggest that the use of a 25-gene hereditary cancer panel significantly improved the detection of mutations and is a more efficient way for patients to receive appropriate medical management."