Myriad Genetics, Inc. (Nasdaq: MYGN) announced today that it has launched a hereditary breast and ovarian cancer Public Awareness Campaign in five Midwest states, including Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio. The initiative is a comprehensive effort designed to reach women with a family history of breast and/or ovarian cancers and the healthcare providers that treat them.
According to the American Cancer Society, more than 200,000 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer this year. Up to ten percent of these cases will be due to an inherited mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. Myriad's BRACAnalysis, a simple blood test, detects mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Women who carry one of these gene mutations have up to an 87 percent risk of developing breast cancer and up to a 44 percent risk of developing ovarian cancer.
"There are approximately 500 thousand women in the U.S. who may be carrying a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation which predisposes them to developing breast or ovarian cancer," said Gregory C. Critchfield, M.D., President of Myriad Genetic Laboratories, Inc. "Doctors help patients understand their risks for breast or ovarian cancer, and help identify individuals that may benefit from BRACAnalysis(R) testing to help reduce their risks for cancer."