Fight Colorectal Cancer & Guardant Health Join Forces to Recognize Excellence in Overcoming Challenges to Colorectal Cancer S...
July 20 2021 - 8:10AM
Business Wire
Selected Recipients of the New “Back to Screening Award for
Research Advocacy Excellence” will be Honored at Fight Colorectal
Cancer’s “Path to a Cure” Event in December 2021
Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC), the nation's leading
colorectal cancer (CRC) patient advocacy organization, and Guardant
Health, Inc. (Nasdaq: GH), a leader in precision oncology, will be
recognizing clinical researchers and advocates who have
demonstrated exceptional leadership during the pandemic in getting
people back to routine colorectal cancer screening.
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The award, called “Back to Screening Award for Research Advocacy
Excellence,” will honor key contributions made by Fight CRC
research advocates, as well as Principal Investigators
participating in Guardant Health’s ECLIPSE trial, a clinical study
evaluating the use of a blood test to screen for colorectal cancer.
Selected recipients of the award will be honored at Fight CRC’s
“Path to a Cure” event in December 2021. Notably, this year’s event
will convene a group of research and advocacy experts who will be
tasked with mapping out a path leading to a cure for colorectal
cancer. The framework will be shared with the National Cancer
Institute (NCI) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) to request
action to help achieve this goal.
“The COVID-19 pandemic forced colorectal cancer screening to a
standstill in some communities. The data shows drastic declines in
2020, compared to the same timepoints in prior pre-pandemic years,”
said Anjee Davis, President of Fight CRC. “Despite these
challenges, herculean efforts were made by Fight CRC research
advocates and Principal Investigators participating in the ECLIPSE
trial to continue to move the needle forward to improve colorectal
cancer screening rates and, ultimately, save lives. Fight CRC and
Guardant Health have been focused on our shared goal of getting
people back to routine cancer screening after the pandemic.”
The ECLIPSE trial, a 10,000-plus patient study, is currently
underway to evaluate the performance of Guardant Health’s blood
test to detect colorectal cancer in an average-risk adult
population.1 If successful, Guardant Health expects data from the
trial will support a premarket approval (PMA) submission to the
FDA. Despite the incredible pressure that the pandemic put on
enrolling patients into the study, which requires patients to
consent to undergo an invasive, inpatient colonoscopy procedure,
the trial is expected to complete enrollment by the end of 2021.
The test is intended to offer a non-invasive, patient-friendly
blood testing option that could bridge the gap to the Centers of
Disease Control’s (CDC) target compliance goal of 80
percent.2,3
Today, it is estimated that only 66% of adults 50 years and
older3 are screened despite compelling evidence that routine cancer
screening can reduce colorectal cancer mortality, the second
leading cause of cancer death.3 The problem is expected to get
worse. The Journal of the American Medical Association recently
predicted that COVID-19–related reductions in care utilization may
result in an estimated 1.2 to 2 million fewer colorectal cancer
screenings between 2020 and 2023.4
Colorectal cancer is on the rise for younger adults too. The
U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) recently lowered the
recommended age to start screening from 50 to 45.5 This increases
the pool of people who need to be screened by an additional 21
million Americans aged 45 to 49.6 By 2030, it is expected that
colorectal cancer will be the leading cause of cancer related death
for those aged 20 to 49, making colorectal cancer screening
increasingly a priority for all Americans.7
“Given what we have learned during the pandemic about its
detrimental impact on cancer screening and healthcare disparities
among underserved communities, it has become abundantly clear that
a non-invasive, patient-friendly blood test to routinely screen for
colorectal cancer is desperately needed,” said Helmy Eltoukhy,
Guardant Health CEO. “We look forward to recognizing the
exceptional performance of the institutions participating in our
ECLIPSE trial who have worked tirelessly to conclude this trial so
that one day soon we can offer patients a more accessible solution
for routine colorectal cancer screening. We are proud to stand
together with Fight CRC to not only honor these investigators, but
to also recognize the incredible dedication of the Fight CRC
advocates for their unwavering commitment to CRC screening during
these difficult times.”
To learn more about CRC screening and the importance of raising
awareness of colorectal cancer screening, visit FightCRC.org. To
learn more about the ECLIPSE trial, visit
guardanthealth.com/eclipse/.
About Fight Colorectal Cancer
Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC) is a leading
patient-empowerment and advocacy organization in the United States,
providing balanced and objective information on colon and rectal
cancer research, treatment, and policy. We are relentless champions
of hope, focused on funding promising, high-impact research
endeavors while equipping advocates to influence legislation and
policy for the collective good.
About Guardant Health
Guardant Health is a leading precision oncology company focused
on helping conquer cancer globally through use of its proprietary
tests, vast data sets and advanced analytics. The Guardant Health
oncology platform leverages capabilities to drive commercial
adoption, improve patient clinical outcomes and lower healthcare
costs across all stages of the cancer care continuum. Guardant
Health has commercially launched Guardant360®, Guardant360 CDx,
Guardant360 TissueNext™, Guardant360 Response™, and GuardantOMNI®
tests for advanced stage cancer patients, and Guardant Reveal™ for
early-stage cancer patients. These tests fuel development of its
LUNAR screening program, which aims to address the needs of
asymptomatic individuals eligible for cancer screening.
References
- Guardant Health, Inc. October 2019. Evaluation of the ctDNA
LUNAR Test in an Average Patient Screening Episode (ECLIPSE).
Identifier NCT04136002.
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04136002
- Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Increasing Quality
Colorectal Cancer Screening: An Action Guide for Working with
Health Systems.
https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/crccp/pdf/colorectalactionguide.pdf.
Accessed online July 8, 2021.
- American Cancer Society: Colorectal Cancer Facts & Figures
2020-2022. Available at:
https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-statistics/colorectal-cancer-facts-and-figures/colorectal-cancer-facts-and-figures-2020-2022.pdf.
Accessed online July 8, 2021.
- Issaka R, Taylor P, Baxi A, et al. Model-Based Estimation of
Colorectal Cancer Screening and Outcomes During the COVID-19
Pandemic. JAMA Network. 2021; 4(4): e216454.
- Final Recommendation Statement: Colorectal Cancer Screening. US
Preventive Services Task Force.
https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/colorectal-cancer-screening.
Published May 18, 2021. Accessed online July 8, 2021.
- Liang P, Allison J, Ladabaum U, Martinez M, et al. Potential
Intended and Unintended Consequences of Recommending Initiation of
Colorectal Cancer Screening at Age 45 Years. Gastroenterology. Oct
2018. Volume 155, Issue 4, Pages 950-954.
doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2018.08.019.
- Rahib L, Wehner MR, Matrisian LM, Nead KT, et al. Estimated
Projection of US Cancer Incidence and Death to 2040. JAMA Network.
2021;4(4):e214708. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.4708
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210720005424/en/
Fight CRC Elizabeth Jordan and Danielle Ripley-Burgess
media@fightcrc.org (636) 544-7113
Guardant Health Anna Czene press@guardanthealth.com Julie
Johnson julie.johnson@uncappedcommunications.com
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