INTERACT COALITION MEMBERSHIP EXPANDS TO ADVANCE PATIENT ACCESS TO GENETIC TESTING FOR HEREDITARY CANCER RISK

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Inter-Organization Cancer Genetics Clinical Evidence Coalition (INTERACT), a coalition whose mission is to increase evidence-based access to genetic testing for people with or at risk of hereditary cancers, is happy to announce the expansion of its membership.

The coalition now includes 12 members: five industry and seven patient advocacy group members. New patient advocacy group members include Colon Cancer Coalition, Let's Win Pancreatic Cancer, My Faulty Gene, Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, and ZERO Prostate Cancer. Natera has also joined the coalition as an industry member. Founding patient advocacy organization members include AliveAndKickn and FORCE. Founding laboratory members include Ambry Genetics, Illumina, Myriad Genetics, and Quest Diagnostics.

Hereditary cancer genetic testing has been shown to improve outcomes by identifying those most at risk and informing management strategies. For instance, patients who test positive for a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation have up to a 72% lifetime risk for breast cancer, up to a 58% lifetime risk for ovarian cancer, and the risk of pancreatic cancer is 5-10% versus 1-2% for those without the mutation.^{1,2, 3} In addition, there are numerous other genes that increase risk for various forms of cancer. Armed with this information, patients and physicians can improve management through increased surveillance, chemoprevention, targeted therapeutics or risk-reducing surgical measures. As an example, studies have shown that prophylactic mastectomy in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers results in about a 90% reduction in the risk for breast cancer⁴, while bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy reduced ovarian cancer incidence by 80-85%.⁵

For Lynch syndrome, a hereditary colon cancer syndrome, undergoing regular colonoscopy to remove precancerous polyps has been shown to reduce the risk of colon cancer by up to 62%.⁶ "With Lynch syndrome, one of the most common hereditary cancer syndromes, patients have up to 60% lifetime risk for colorectal cancer⁷, but an estimated 90% or more of at-risk individuals have not been identified⁸," said Robin Dubin, Executive Director of AliveAndKickn. "To really improve survival rates with informed screening strategies, we need to help drive education and policies that support genetic testing for all those at risk."

The coalition seeks to provide a collective voice in support of the progression of medical professional and industry guidelines for genetic testing for inherited mutations that increase cancer risk. Increased membership allows the group to consider and incorporate broader perspectives, ensuring suggested changes to guidelines or policies represent appropriate stakeholders. We encourage other industry and patient advocacy groups to consider membership to voice their concerns and suggestions in advancing access to testing for patients.

About INTERACT
The mission of INTERACT is to bring together specialized genetic testing laboratories and patient advocacy groups to support the progression and evolution of medical policy and industry guidelines for cancer genetic testing. Our members are recognized institutions in the field of cancer genetics. Current commercial members include Ambry Genetics, Illumina, Myriad Genetics, Natera, and Quest Diagnostics. Advocacy members include AliveAndKickn, Colon Cancer Coalition, FORCE: Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered, Let's Win Pancreatic Cancer, My Faulty Gene, Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, and ZERO Prostate Cancer. We seek to develop the evidence base and rationale to inform changes in cancer-related genetic testing policies to expand patient access to evidence-based testing.

For more information, visit: https://interactcoalition.org/

References:

1. Chen S, Parmigiani G. Meta-analysis of BRCA1 and BRCA2 penetrance. J Clin Oncol 2007;25:13291333.
2. Chen J, Bae E, Zhang L, et al. Penetrance of breast and ovarian cancer in women who carry a BRCA1/2 mutation and do not use risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy: an updated meta-analysis. JNCI Cancer Spectr 2020;4(4):pkaa029.
3. Li S, Silvestri V, Leslie G, et al. Cancer risks associated with BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variants. J Clin Oncol 2022;40:1529-1541.
4. Li X, You R, Wang X, et al. Effectiveness of prophylactic surgeries in BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers: a meta-analysis and systematic review. Clin Cancer Res 2016;22:3971-3981.
5. Meta-analysis of risk reduction estimates associated with risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy in BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers. Timothy R Rebbeck ¹, Noah D Kauff, Susan M Domchek. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2009 Jan 21;101(2):80-7.  PMID: 19141781
6. Järvinen, H.J.; Aarnio, M.; Mustonen, H.; Aktan–Collan, K.; Aaltonen, L.A.; Peltomäki, P.; De La Chapelle, A.; Mecklin, J.P. Controlled 15-Year Trial on Screening for Colorectal Cancer in Families with Hereditary Non polyposis Colorectal Cancer. Gastroenterology 2000, 118, 829–834.
7. Ryan NAJ, Morris J, Green K, et al. Association of mismatch repair mutation with age at cancer onset in Lynch syndrome: Implications for stratified surveillance strategies. JAMA Oncol 2017;3:1702-1706.
8. Grzymski JJ, Elhanan G, Morales Rosado JA, Smith E, Schlauch KA, Read R, et al. Population genetic screening efficiently identifies carriers of autosomal dominant diseases. Nat Med. 2020;26:1235–9.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE INTERACT Coalition