Genetic Technologies Limited (ASX:GTG, NASDAQ:GENE, OTC:GNTLF) will establish a clinical implementation study using geneType in breast imaging centres across New York, Miami and Houston.
Personalised breast care
The initiative will integrate the geneType test into these centres to streamline care and enhance personalised medicine, particularly for women with increased breast cancer risk.
This work stems from feedback from prominent employer and payor groups in the US, recognising that women’s healthcare – and breast cancer care in particular – has the most promising health and economic benefits if fully realised.
Some high-profile clinicians are involved in the project, including Sheldon M Feldman, MD, director of Breast Cancer Services at Montefiore Medical Center, and Elizabeth Etkin-Kramer, M.D., OB-GYN and assistant professor at Florida International University, founder of Yodeah.org and affiliated with Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami.
High-risk patients detected
The integration of the geneType breast cancer risk assessment test into breast imaging centres means the easy identification of high-risk patients during imaging appointments, who can then be triaged back into the supplementary screening process.
This empowers patients to make better decisions about their screening options and has the added benefit of ensuring a seamless transition within the centre's workflow.
The continuum of care software from geneType's partner, Nest Genomics, makes for smoother communication among healthcare providers and enhances continuity of care across the health journey.
Risk factor
Breast density is a risk factor that can both mask early cancer detection but is also associated with increased risk of developing cancer.
Integration of the geneType test into breast imaging practices allows better identification of women at increased risk of developing breast cancer by breast density status.
Risk assessment for women at the point of imaging ensures that all women receive appropriate follow-up and surveillance beyond standard screening intervals in accordance with their risk.
One of the primary outcomes of this study is to evaluate the impact of geneType on imaging compliance among at-risk populations.
Adherence to screening
GTG hypothesises that the geneType risk assessment test will expose individualised breast cancer risks, increasing awareness among patients and making them more likely to adhere to screening protocols.
Collaborating with leading breast imaging centres will provide an excellent opportunity for integrating geneType in a high throughput clinical scenario. This helps the study to validate the efficacy of geneType in identifying women at elevated risk of breast cancer and driving subsequent clinical imaging opportunities.
This data is important in driving broader adoption of risk assessment tests such as geneType to modify breast cancer screening and risk-reduction strategies.
Huge addressable market
With an addressable market of 68 million women aged 40 to 74 in the US, the study's scalability and potential for broad adoption of GeneType could significantly impact breast cancer screening and risk-reduction strategies.
GTG says GeneType is revolutionising risk assessment beyond the current gold standard of care and that it will improve patient adherence and pave the way for broader impact across populations.
The company is confident the study heralds a new era of precision medicine in the fight against breast cancer, providing screening and risk-reduction opportunities by identifying more at-risk individuals.