WASHINGTON and SALT LAKE CITY, June 24, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chris4Life Colon Cancer Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based national non-profit organization, and Myriad Genetics, a leader in personalized medicine, today announced their "What's Your History" family history week (June 24-30, 2015). "What's Your History" is an educational campaign to help individuals learn more about the history of cancer in their family, which may aid them in the prevention or treatment of future cancers.
Approximately 5 to 10 percent of all cancers are caused by an inherited genetic mutation. Individuals with certain genetic mutations may be more likely to develop hereditary cancers, often at a much earlier age, than the general population. Chris4Life and Myriad are partnering to launch a "What's Your History" social media campaign, which is intended to encourage and teach people to be proactive in learning more about their family's history of cancer.
"My mother passed away from colon cancer, my grandfather passed away from brain cancer and my grandmother had melanoma," said Michael Sapienza, founder and president of Chris4Life. "For me and millions of other Americans, knowing my family history could save my life. Knowledge is power."
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Recently, Myriad launched a digital resource called the FamilyHistoryTool that guides individuals through a simple process to evaluate their family history of cancer and ask questions of other family members to uncover valuable details about cancers that occur within their family. At the end of the process, the tool generates a family history chart that can be shared with healthcare providers.
As part of the FamilyHistoryTool awareness campaign, Chris4Life and Myriad Genetics will host a virtual roundtable on Tuesday, June 30 at 7:00 P.M. EDT to teach people about the FamilyHistoryTool and the importance of knowing one's family history. The program will feature the Mayor of COLONTOWN as moderator/convener, a genetic counselor and two colorectal cancer patients with relevant experience to share. The program will conclude with an interactive Q&A session.
"Collecting family history information is an important way to help individuals assess their personal risk for hereditary cancer. The FamilyHistoryTool is an innovative tool to help people collect and share family history information with their healthcare providers," said Carolyn Dumond, manager of patient education and advocacy at Myriad. "The FamilyHistoryTool can help guide medical treatment. In some cases, a strong family history of cancer may prompt genetic testing and counseling with a trained healthcare professional."
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About the FamilyHistoryTool™
The FamilyHistoryTool is an online assessment that helps identify whether an individual is appropriate for hereditary cancer testing. The tool collects a full cancer family history, generates a 4-generation pedigree and lists all the "red flags" indicated in the family. At the end, the tool provides a chart summary for both you and your family to share with healthcare professionals. The tool is easy to use and takes approximately six minutes to complete.
About Chris4Life Colon Cancer Foundation
The principal goal of Chris4Life Colon Cancer Foundation is to permanently eliminate the threat of colon cancer through discovery of a cure. To this end, we will fund cutting-edge research so that the brightest minds and best institutions are empowered to cure colon cancer for good. Until then, Chris4Life Colon Cancer Foundation is committed to significantly improving the treatment experience for patients and caregivers, and to dramatically raising awareness about colon cancer in general. The organization builds a culture of care and fosters relationships with research institutions, advocacy groups, the health care community, and the general public. Chris4Life's four core values are Compassion, Empowerment, Perseverance, and Life. www.chris4life.org
About Myriad Genetics
Myriad Genetics is a leading personalized medicine company dedicated to making a difference in patients' lives through the discovery and commercialization of molecular diagnostic tests to assess a person's risk of developing disease, diagnose disease more accurately, assess risk of disease progression and recurrence, and guide treatment decisions. Myriad is focused on strategic initiatives to grow existing markets, diversify through the introduction of new products, including companion diagnostics, and expand internationally. For more information on how Myriad is making a difference, please visit the Company's website: www.myriad.com.
Myriad, the Myriad logo, BART, BRACAnalysis, Colaris, Colaris AP, myPath, myRisk, myRisk Hereditary Cancer, myChoice, myPlan Lung Cancer, BRACAnalysis CDx, HRD, Vectra and Prolaris are trademarks or registered trademarks of Myriad Genetics, Inc. in the United States and foreign countries. MYGN-F, MYGN-G