SGO Updates Hereditary Cancer Recommendations
March 20 2014 - 7:05AM
Myriad Genetics, Inc. (Nasdaq:MYGN) today noted that the Society of
Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) has issued new clinical practice
statements surrounding hereditary cancer testing for patients with
ovarian and endometrial cancer. The statements are consistent with
the recently revised National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)
guidelines and support broader access to genetic testing for
patients with ovarian and endometrial cancer.
"Historically, hereditary cancer testing has been underutilized
in gynecologic cancers. The new practice recommendations underscore
the importance of testing as a clinical management tool," said
Sharyn N. Lewin, M.D., assistant clinical professor of gynecologic
oncology at Columbia University Medical Center. "Every woman with
ovarian or endometrial cancer should be tested by their healthcare
provider in order to guide therapy and potentially save the lives
of unaffected family members."
Some of the key aspects of the statements include:
- A recommendation that women diagnosed with epithelial ovarian,
tubal and peritoneal cancers should be considered for genetic
counseling and testing even in the absence of family history;
- A recommendation that all women diagnosed with endometrial
cancer should undergo systematic clinical screening (review of
personal and family history) and/or molecular screening for
hereditary colon cancer risk; and
- An acknowledgement of the advantages of cancer gene panels
including decreased cost, improved efficiency, and the fact that a
negative genetic test is more reassuring because it eliminates
concerns about an inherited risk for all known genes.
Hereditary cancer testing for gynecologic cancers has been
underutilized compared to breast cancer despite the fact that
ovarian and endometrial cancer patients are at higher risk for
hereditary cancer. Myriad estimates that less than 25 percent
of women with ovarian cancer and fewer than 5 percent of women with
endometrial cancer receive hereditary cancer testing.
"Myriad is working with gynecologic oncologists and other
healthcare providers to ensure broad access to these tests for
women with gynecologic cancers," said Mark Capone, president of
Myriad Genetic Laboratories. "We believe the detection of
hereditary cancer through cancer gene panels like Myriad myRisk™
Hereditary Cancer is important in guiding surgical decisions and
informing families. Hereditary cancer testing also plays an
increasingly prominent role in therapy selection as new, targeted
therapies are developed for patients with BRCA1 and BRCA2
mutations."
About Myriad Genetics
Myriad Genetics is a leading molecular diagnostic company
dedicated to making a difference in patients' lives through the
discovery and commercialization of transformative tests to assess a
person's risk of developing disease, guide treatment decisions and
assess risk of disease progression and recurrence. Myriad's
molecular diagnostic tests are based on an understanding of the
role genes play in human disease and were developed with a
commitment to improving an individual's decision-making process for
monitoring and treating disease. Myriad is focused on strategic
directives to introduce new products, including companion
diagnostics, as well as expanding internationally. For more
information on how Myriad is making a difference, please visit the
Company's website: www.myriad.com.
Myriad, the Myriad logo and Prolaris, Myriad myPath, Myriad
myPlan and Myriad myRisk are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Myriad Genetics, Inc. in the United States and foreign countries.
MYGN-F, MYGN-G.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995, including statements relating to the Company working with
gynecologic oncologists and other healthcare providers to ensure
broad access to these tests for women with gynecologic
cancers; the importance of the detection of
hereditary cancer through cancer gene panels like Myriad myRisk™
Hereditary Cancer in guiding surgical decisions and informing
families; hereditary cancer testing playing an increasingly
prominent role in therapy selection as new, targeted therapies are
developed for patients with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations; and the
Company's strategic directives under the caption "About Myriad
Genetics." These "forward-looking statements" are management's
present expectations of future events and are subject to a number
of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially and adversely from those described in the
forward-looking statements. These risks include, but are not
limited to: the risk that sales and profit margins of our existing
molecular diagnostic tests and companion diagnostic services may
decline or will not continue to increase at historical rates; risks
related to changes in the governmental or private insurers
reimbursement levels for our tests; the risk that we may be unable
to develop or achieve commercial success for additional molecular
diagnostic tests and companion diagnostic services in a timely
manner, or at all; the risk that we may not successfully develop
new markets for our molecular diagnostic tests and companion
diagnostic services, including our ability to successfully generate
revenue outside the United States; the risk that licenses to the
technology underlying our molecular diagnostic tests and companion
diagnostic services tests and any future tests are terminated or
cannot be maintained on satisfactory terms; risks related to delays
or other problems with operating our laboratory testing facilities;
risks related to public concern over our genetic testing in general
or our tests in particular; risks related to regulatory
requirements or enforcement in the United States and foreign
countries and changes in the structure of the healthcare system or
healthcare payment systems; risks related to our ability to obtain
new corporate collaborations or licenses and acquire new
technologies or businesses on satisfactory terms, if at all; risks
related to our ability to successfully integrate and derive
benefits from any technologies or businesses that we license or
acquire; risks related to increased competition and the development
of new competing tests and services; the risk that we or our
licensors may be unable to protect or that third parties will
infringe the proprietary technologies underlying our tests; the
risk of patent-infringement claims or challenges to the validity of
our patents; risks related to changes in intellectual property laws
covering our molecular diagnostic tests and companion diagnostic
services and patents or enforcement in the United States and
foreign countries, such as the Supreme Court decision in the
lawsuit brought against us by the Association for Molecular
Pathology et al; risks of new, changing and competitive
technologies and regulations in the United States and
internationally; and other factors discussed under the heading
"Risk Factors" contained in Item 1A of our most recent Annual
Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, as well as any updates to those risk factors filed from
time to time in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current
Reports on Form 8-K. All information in this press release is as of
the date of the release, and Myriad undertakes no duty to update
this information unless required by law.
CONTACT: Media Contact:
Ron Rogers
(801) 584-3065
rrogers@myriad.com
Investor Contact:
Scott Gleason
(801) 584-1143
sgleason@myriad.com
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