The greatly increased risks indicate that preventive healthcare measures and increased surveillance for these cancers are appropriate and have the potential to save thousands of lives. Individuals with a family history of colon cancer or uterine cancer are encouraged to take advantage of Myriad's reimbursement assistance program. Following the same quality commitment established with Myriad's other predictive medicine products, patients will have access to the most accurate and rapid test available. This course of action has the potential to totally prevent colon cancer. It is the gold standard in genetic analysis, providing the most accurate assessment of risk to patients based upon their genetic makeup.
Colon cancer is a serious health problem in the United States.
Over 130,000 patients will be diagnosed with colon or rectal cancer in the year 2000 and more than 56,000 will die of the disease. Those at risk include patients and relatives of patients with colorectal cancer that was diagnosed prior to age 50 or two family members with colorectal cancer in which either had early onset of the disease or multiple colorectal polyps. Myriad Genetics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of therapeutic and diagnostic products that are based on the use of genomic and proteomic technologies. The Company has established two wholly owned subsidiaries. Inc. develops and markets proprietary molecular diagnostic services and has introduced products in the fields of predictive medicine and personalized medicine.