Myriad presents new myRisk hereditary cancer data at 2015 ASCO Annual Meeting

Myriad Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MYGN) today announced it will highlight several new clinical studies on its myRisk Hereditary Cancer molecular diagnostic test at the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting being held in Chicago, Ill.

The myRisk Hereditary Cancer test assesses 25 genes for mutations associated with eight hereditary cancers. Finding deleterious mutations in these genes can help patients with cancer receive appropriate medical care and reduce the risk of second cancers, while patients without cancer can take steps in consultation with their healthcare provider to lower their risk of developing cancer. "Myriad is pioneering a new era of cancer treatment and prevention. The myRisk Hereditary Cancer test has the potential to reduce the burden of hereditary cancer in the lives of women and men for generations to come," said Richard Wenstrup, M.D., chief medical officer, Myriad. "myRisk represents a significant new opportunity to help physicians tailor treatment to individuals based on their genetic results as well as their personal and family history of cancer." Below are the key myRisk Hereditary Cancer presentations being highlighted at #ASCO15.

BREAST CANCER

Podium Presentation S100BC: Predisposing Germline Mutations in High Grade ER+HER2- Breast Cancer Patients Diagnosed <50 Years of Age.

Judy Garber, M.D., (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute), presented data on pathogenic DNA mutations in 106 high grade ER+ HER2- breast cancer patients diagnosed <50 years of age. A total of 25 cancer genes were assessed using the myRisk Hereditary Cancer test and germline mutations were classified for pathogenicity. The results demonstrated that 10.4 percent of women with ER+ HER2- breast cancer who were tested had a deleterious mutation. BRCA1/2 mutations were found in 6.6 percent of patients; however, mutations also were found in other genes related to breast cancer such as ATM, CHEK2, PALB2 in 4.7 percent of patients, representing a greater than 70 percent increase in patients identified with pathogenic mutations. These findings support expanded testing with myRisk Hereditary Cancer in women with Grade III ER+/HER2- breast cancer diagnosed at age <50, which will find more mutation carriers and has the potential to improve medical management decisions.

Poster 181: A Study of Triple Negative Breast Cancer Patients Tested with a 25-Gene Panel of Hereditary Cancer Genes.

John Sandbach, M.D. (Texas Oncology Austin), highlighted data on the distribution of mutations identified with the myRisk Hereditary Cancer 25-gene panel in 3,413 patients with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and compared those results to 22,890 patients with other types of breast cancer. The results found that the overall prevalence of mutations in patients with TNBC was 14.7 percent, compared to 9.2 percent in patients with other types of breast cancer. In all patients with breast cancer, the myRisk Hereditary Cancer test identified 100.8 percent more mutations than BRCA1/2 testing alone. The increase in mutations identified in patients with TNBC was 43.7 percent and 121.8 percent in patients with other types of breast cancer. TNBC mutation carriers were found to have a higher occurrence of BRCA1 mutations (50.3 percent) than patients with other breast cancers (18.2 percent). Additionally, BARD1, RAD51C and PALB2 were significantly more prevalent in patients with TNBC compared to other types of breast cancer, while ATM and CHEK2 were significantly less prevalent. These data provide insight into the prevalence and diversity of deleterious mutations that may drive the development of TNBC, and highlight the importance of a 25-gene panel versus BRCA1/2 testing alone, which may allow affected patients to receive more appropriate and tailored medical management.