New test makes breast cancer risk assessment more accurate and fair for all women, researchers say

SALT LAKE CITY – For the first time, women of all ethnicities can get an accurate test to predict their risk of breast cancer. The new test also identifies better when they will be most at risk. The new risk screening made all the difference for a Utah woman.

When Nicole Lambert’s aunt had only a few months to live because of metastatic breast cancer, it was a wake-up call.

“That little voice inside of me said, ‘I never, ever, ever want to have this conversation myself,’ so I knew it was time to get tested,” said Lambert, president of Myriad Genetics.

Her company designed the MyRisk Hereditary Cancer test, a blood or saliva test now available for women at high risk for breast cancer. Nicole’s results were conclusive.

“It told me I was at a very high risk for breast cancer,” she said.

Last summer, she underwent preventive surgery. Later biopsies showed Lambert had two early-stage breast cancers that might not have shown on a mammogram.

Dr Thomas Slavin, Chief Medical Officer at Myriad Genetics, said: “We are able to give both a five year breast cancer risk and a lifetime breast cancer risk. “

The test examines 35 clinically significant genes associated with eight inherited cancers, the researchers said. Screening is more precise and allows women to have preventive surgery when it is most convenient for them.

“It allowed me to do the surgery at my own pace, when it was right for my family,” Lambert said. “And also before I have to sit down with someone in a white coat who said, ‘You have breast cancer, you have to do something right away.'”

Slavin said the test is also fair to women of all ethnicities.

“We knew there was a major flaw in the test, making it available only to women of European descent, and we were handcuffed, we had to revamp this test,” he said. “Whether you are of European descent, non-European descent, whatever your general background, we are able to deal with it now. It is a preventative measure to help save the lives of all women.”

Lambert said she took the precaution for her 8-year-old son. “It was the right decision for me, and it lets me know that I’ll be there for her wedding, I’ll be there for her high school graduation,” she said.

Scientists assess the risks and protect women of all origins. Myriad Genetics hopes to someday make the test accessible to all women, not just those at high risk.

To learn more about the MyRisk test, talk to your healthcare provider.

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Heather simonsen