Study finds risk-causing genetic changes in nearly 1 in 6 patients with colorectal cancer

-- Cancer-linked genetic changes associated with younger age at diagnosis --

News provided by

Apr 15, 2021, 07:30 ET

SAN FRANCISCO, April 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Invitae Corporation (NYSE: NVTA), a leading medical genetics company, today announced research showing one in six people with colorectal cancer harbor genetic changes that are known to substantially increase the risk for cancer, especially in patients who were younger when diagnosed. The findings are the latest from a landmark study of genetic testing across many solid tumor cancers and were presented at the 2021 American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting.

"Colorectal cancer is one of the most common types of cancer. Recently we've seen an unfortunate increase in incidence among people younger than 50 years old. Improving our understanding of who is at risk and implementing appropriate screening strategies is essential to ensuring these cancers are caught and treated earlier when outcomes are typically better," said Robert Nussbaum, M.D., chief medical officer of Invitae. "Access to information about inherited risk factors is also important after diagnosis, not only for the patients themselves in whom a change in treatment was made in more than 10 percent of patients based on genetic test results, but also in alerting other family members of the need to be tested to see if they are also at increased risk and need more intensive surveillance to catch cancer early and prevent more serious disease."

The study evaluated the utility of universal multigene panel testing and found the use of multigene panel testing in colorectal cancer was associated with an increased detection of heritable mutations over guideline-based testing. In the study, 361 colorectal cancer patients received germline genetic testing using a panel that included more than 80 genes linked to increased cancer risk. Cancer-linked genetic changes were found in 15.5% (n=56) of patients predominantly in moderate and high penetrance cancer susceptibility genes such as APC, BRCA2 and TP53. The median age of patients in the study was 57 years, 43.5% were female, 82% were white and 38.2% had stage IV disease.

Younger age at diagnosis was associated with a higher likelihood of finding genetic changes linked to increased cancer susceptibility. Research from the American Cancer Society has shown rates have been increasing since the mid-1980s in adults ages 20-39 years and since the mid-1990s in adults ages 40-54 years, with younger age groups experiencing the steepest increase.

About Invitae
Invitae Corporation (NYSE: NVTA) is a leading medical genetics company, whose mission is to bring comprehensive genetic information into mainstream medicine to improve healthcare for billions of people. Invitae's goal is to aggregate the world's genetic tests into a single service with higher quality, faster turnaround time, and lower prices. For more information, visit the company's website at invitae.com.

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 findings and implications of the study. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the company's history of losses; the company's ability to compete; the company's failure to manage growth effectively; the company's need to scale its infrastructure in advance of demand for its tests and to increase demand for its tests; the company's ability to use rapidly changing genetic data to interpret test results accurately and consistently; security breaches, loss of data and other disruptions; laws and regulations applicable to the company's business; and the other risks set forth in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risks set forth in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and Invitae Corporation disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Contact:
Laura D'Angelo
[email protected]
(628) 213-3283

SOURCE Invitae Corporation