DAYTON, Ohio, Sept. 30, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Contemporary Obstetrics & Gynecology, part of the Providence Medical Group, today announced the availability of the BREVAGen™ predictive risk test at all three of its greater Dayton, Ohio locations. Clinically validated, BREVAGen is the latest advance in assessing a woman's unique risk of developing non-familial or sporadic breast cancer. More than 80 percent of women who develop breast cancer, have little or no family history of the disease.1
"In the Dayton area, the number one cancer diagnosis is breast cancer, followed by prostate and colon cancer," said Dr. Caroline Peterson, DO, Contemporary Obstetrics & Gynecology. "Because of this, we've been looking for a test like BREVAGen to help identify and more aggressively monitor women who are at higher risk of developing the disease."
Contemporary Obstetrics & Gynecology is the first practice in the Dayton area to fully adopt BREVAGen into their practice. They began administering BREVAGen to women in late July of this year and since then, 243 women over the age of 35 have been tested. Thus far, results have shown that 23 percent have been identified as high risk for developing breast cancer and 77 percent at low risk for developing the disease. The physicians at Contemporary Obstetrics & Gynecology have created a clinical protocol to enact once a patient is identified as high risk. The protocol includes specific steps and a quick timeline for a team providers and the patient to follow to make sure the patient has the appropriate care to keep her healthy.
Dr. Peterson added, "With BREVAGen, we can get ahead of each woman's personal risk and do something proactive about it for cancer detection and prevention."
BREVAGen, which is a simple cheek swab test, is a clinically validated predictive risk test that more accurately identifies a woman's unique risk of developing sporadic, estrogen-positive breast cancer. BREVAGen examines a woman's clinical risk factors, such as their lifetime exposure to estrogen, combined with scientifically validated markers to determine each patient's personalized five-year and lifetime risk of developing breast cancer.2 BREVAGen is supplied by Phenogen Sciences, a subsidiary of Genetic Technologies Limited (Nasdaq:GENE). For more information about BREVAGen at Contemporary Obstetrics & Gynecology, contact the office at (937) 433-4325.
How BREVAGen Works
The BREVAGen predictive risk test is administered in a physician's office using a simple, non-invasive "oral-swab." Following analysis in a CLIA-certified laboratory, physicians receive a comprehensive genetic risk prediction report to review with the patient.
The patient's risk of breast cancer is calculated by combining their relative risk score from seven genetic markers, called SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms), with factors that comprise the patient's clinical and reproductive history including current age, age at menarche, age at live first birth and race/ethnicity.
The BREVAGen test provides five-year and lifetime predictive risk assessments to more accurately evaluate the patient's risk for developing sporadic breast cancer, regardless of family history or previous indeterminate test results.
Clinically Validated
BREVAGen was proven superior in determining breast cancer risk compared to Gail score alone (the Gail score is a simple questionnaire used to assess a patient's clinical risk factors. It asks historical questions such as the age of a woman's first menses and her first pregnancy).2 Utilizing data from the U.S. Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Clinical Trial, 3,300 women underwent breast cancer assessment utilizing the BREVAGen test. Of those 3,300 women, 1,664 were diagnosed with breast cancer and 1,636 were in the breast cancer-free control group. BREVAGen test results support current American Cancer Society (ACS), www.cancer.org, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), www.asco.org, and The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), www.nccn.org, guidelines for prevention and early detection of breast cancer.3, 4
About Dr. Peterson and Contemporary Obstetrics & Gynecology
Dr. Peterson has been serving greater Dayton families for over 19 years. She is a graduate of the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific and completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Grandview Hospital and Medical Center in Dayton. Dr. Peterson is board certified by the American Osteopathic Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Contemporary Obstetrics & Gynecology is a full service obstetric, gynecological and women's health care and treatment practice with three offices in the greater Dayton area, focused on a wide range of women's health care and wellness services. In addition to Dr. Peterson, other physicians in the group include: Kimberly Warren, DO, Amy Byerly, DO, Charles Watson, DO, Whitney Sharp, DO, and Amy Park, DO. With experience in providing women in the greater Dayton area with special attention and prompt and caring service for over 25 years, Contemporary Obstetrics & Gynecology is a part of the physician owned Providence Medical Group. For more information or to make an appointment, call (937) 433-4325 or visit www.COBGYNDayton.com.
About Providence Medical Group
Providence Medical Group is the largest medical practice group in greater Dayton solely owned and operated by its member physicians. As part of Providence's commitment to positive, transformational healthcare, all of the Group's 23 primary care practices have been accredited by a nationally-recognized accreditation organization as Patient-Centered Medical Homes—Providence is the area's only major provider organization to have all of its primary care practices achieve this high standard of proven health care quality. Providence also offers specialty practices in obstetrics and gynecology, general surgery and pediatrics. In total, Providence practices conveniently serve all major communities within the Dayton metropolitan area.
The Providence Diabetes Center, Providence After Hours Care, The Providence Health Partners Clinical Research Center, Enduring Youth Skin & Laser Center and The Providence Medical Laboratory are also important ancillary and health support services offered by Providence. For more information, visit www.provmedgroup.com, or contact Beth Patak at Providence Medical Group, phone (937) 297-8999; email bpatak@provmedgroup.com.
About Phenogen Sciences
Phenogen Sciences, the U.S. subsidiary of Australia-based Genetic Technologies Limited, is a pioneer in personalized healthcare. Phenogen offers novel predictive testing and assessment tools that help physicians proactively manage women's health risks.
Phenogen's lead product, BREVAGen, is a clinically validated test that combines a woman's clinical history of estrogen exposure with her genetic predisposition to its effects - more accurately categorizing her personal risk for developing breast cancer. For more information, visit www.phenogensciences.com.
About Genetic Technologies Limited
Genetic Technologies is an established diagnostics company with more than 20 years of experience in commercializing genetic testing, non-coding DNA and product patenting. The company has operations in Australia and the U.S. and is dual-listed on the ASX (GTG.AX) and NASDAQ (GENE). Genetic Technologies is focused on the commercialization of its patent portfolio through an active out-licensing program and the global expansion of its oncology and cancer management diagnostics assets. For more information, please visit www.gtglabs.com.
Additional Information
About Breast Cancer
- Approximately one in eight women will get breast cancer5
- 70% to 80% of those who get breast cancer do not have familial risk indicators3
- Risk of invasive vs. non-invasive breast cancer is approximately four times greater in women age 40-646
- Approximately 75% of all breast cancer is estrogen-positive and, if detected early, can be effectively treated with five-year survival rates of over 95%
Breast Cancer Demographics
According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer.5 According to the 2010 breast cancer demographics there are:
- Approximately 207,000 new cases diagnosed each year5
- Of the 207,000 new cases, about 54,000 are non-invasive forms of breast cancer that have been diagnosed early5
- Approximately 40,000 deaths related to breast cancer in women, annually5
BREVAGen reclassified 64% of above average Gail risk subjects2
BREVAGen reclassified 64% of Gail scores above average risk subjects as either high or low risk for development of hormone-dependent breast cancer. Furthermore, the BREVAGen test reclassified the breast cancer risk for 33% of the total 3,300 trial subjects.2
About BREVAGen™
The first product in Phenogen Science's portfolio, BREVAGen™ is a predictive risk test for sporadic, hormone-dependent breast cancer. The BREVAGen test combines a woman's clinical history of estrogen exposure with the presence of identified genetic markers to determine her five-year and lifetime risk for developing breast cancer. For women whose clinical profile indicates prolonged estrogen exposure, BREVAGen helps to provide a more accurate risk assessment for estrogen-positive breast cancer. The test results assist physicians in developing a personalized care path toward managing each woman's risk of developing breast cancer with greater precision than ever before.
- Non-invasive, easy-to-use predictive risk assessment test
- The first genetic risk prediction test to have been validated in a large-scale, peer-reviewed, case-controlled study2
- Recent studies demonstrate that 64% of women who have above average risk of prolonged estrogen exposure were either reclassified above the guidelines for high risk management or below the general population risk when compared to clinical risk factors alone2
- Supports existing industry guidelines for the prevention of estrogen-positive breast cancer3,4
Click here for BREVAGen B-roll/video:
- Video One: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-em2pNeOMNs&feature=plcp
- Video Two: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSExN7mNlzA&feature=plcp
- Breast Cancer: Early Detection. American Cancer Society. Accessed May 13, 2013 at http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003165-pdf.pdf.
- Mealiffe M, Stokowski RP, Rhees, BK, et al. J Nat Cancer Inst. 2010;102(21):1618-1627.
- Saslow D, Boetes C, Burke W, et al. CA Cancer J Clin. 2007;57(2):75-89.
- Visvanathan K, Chlebowski RT, Hurley P, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2009;27(19):3235-3258.
- Breast Cancer Overview. American Cancer Society. Accessed 3/14/12 at http://www.cancer.org/cancer/breastcancer/overviewguide/index
- DeSantis C, Siegel R, Bandi P, Jemal A. CA: A Cancer Journal For Clinicians. 2011;61: 409-418
A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=21255
