SALT LAKE CITY, May 06, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Myriad Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ:MYGN), a leader in molecular diagnostics and personalized medicine, today announced that results from three studies will be featured at the American Urological Association annual meeting, which will take place May 6-10 in San Diego, Calif.  Poster discussions include new data for the Prolaris® test in patients with low-risk prostate cancer, as well as investigational molecular diagnostic tests for renal and bladder cancer. 

“Prolaris is the leading prognostic genetic test for patients with prostate cancer and is the only such test that predicts the 10-year risk of real oncologic outcomes including death, metastases and recurrence.  The evidence in favor of genetic testing is expanding, and we’re excited to present a new analysis at AUA that further confirms the strong prognostic power of Prolaris in men with low-risk localized prostate cancer,” said Michael Brawer, senior vice president of Medical Affairs, Myriad Genetic Laboratories. “We also are presenting new data for our investigational renal and bladder cancer tests, which further underscore Myriad’s commitment to developing pioneering molecular diagnostic tests for other urologic diseases.”

Results of the studies to be presented are described below and abstracts are now available at: www.aua2016.org/abstracts/.  Follow Myriad on Twitter via @MyriadGenetics to stay informed about news and updates from the Company.

Highlighted Presentations

  • Title: The CCP score provides significant prognostic information in Gleason score <6 patients.
    Date: Friday, May 6, 2016: 8:00–10:00 a.m. PT.
    Location: Poster MP2.
    Presenter: Jay Bishoff, M.D., Intermountain Urological Institute.

This meta-analysis of five studies evaluated the ability of the Prolaris test (CCP score) to predict oncologic outcomes (i.e., recurrence or death) in 440 patients with low-risk localized prostate cancer, which was defined as a Gleason score of 6 or less.  The results showed that the Prolaris test is a significant predictor of oncologic outcomes in patients with low-risk disease (HR 1.5; p<0.009).  Prolaris also was a better independent predictor of outcomes than traditional clinical features as measured by CAPRA (Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment; HR 1.27; p<0.03).  When the Prolaris and CAPRA scores were assessed together, the combined clinical risk (CCR) score provided even greater predictive power (HR 1.83; p<0.0014).  In this study, Prolaris was a strong predictor of the 10-year risk of oncologic outcomes in patients with localized prostate cancer and a Gleason score of 6 or less.

  • Title: A study to evaluate the prognostic and predictive utility of CCP and HRD assays and genetic sequencing in patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy in bladder cancer.
    Date: Sunday, May 8, 2016: 1:00–3:00 p.m. PT.
    Location: Poster MP49.
    Presenter: Hristos Kaimakliotis, M.D., Indiana University.

This exploratory study evaluated three molecular assays to determine if they were able to predict response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy with cisplatin in patients with urothelial bladder cancer (UBC).  The assays included 1) a cell cycle progression score, 2) the homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) score, and 3) genetic sequencing of a set of 80 genes associated with UBC. The results showed that RB1 mutations were associated with response to cisplatin neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and the predictive ability was improved by the addition of either the CCP or HRD scores.  Additionally, HRD could be used to predict risk of disease recurrence in patients after neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by cystectomy. If validated, these tests may help identify chemo-responsive patients.  

  • Title: Prognostic utility of a multi-gene signature (the cell cycle proliferation score) in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) after radical nephrectomy.
    Date: Monday, May 9, 2016: 3:30–5:30 p.m. PT.
    Location: Poster MP78.
    Presenter: Adam Feldman, M.D., Massachusetts General Hospital.

The objective of this study was to assess the ability of the Myriad myPlan® Renal Cancer cell cycle progression test to predict long-term oncologic outcomes in patients with surgically-resected renal cell carcinoma (RCC).  Outcomes were defined as disease recurrence (local or metastatic) or disease-specific survival (DSS).  Patient data were censored at five-years of follow-up. In the training cohort (N= 305), the myPlan Renal Cancer test was a significant prognostic predictor for recurrence (HR: 1.74; p = 0.02) and DSS (HR: 2.59; p< 0.001) after adjusting for clinical variables.  The validation cohort (N=262) demonstrated a consistent and significant prediction of recurrence and DSS, with the strongest association being for DSS (HR: 2.2; p < 0.001) after adjusting for clinical variables. Based on these data, the myPlan Renal Cancer test appears to be a significant and independent predictor of key long-term oncologic outcomes in patients who have undergone nephrectomy for RCC, providing prognostic information beyond what is available from clinical parameters.  Additional studies are underway to evaluate the utility of the score when derived from diagnostic biopsy.

About Prolaris®
Prolaris is a novel 46-gene RNA-expression test that directly measures tumor cell growth characteristics for stratifying the risk of disease-specific mortality in patients with prostate cancer. Prolaris provides a quantitative measure of the RNA expression levels of genes involved in the progression of tumor growth.  Low gene expression is associated with a low risk of disease-specific mortality in men who may be candidates for active surveillance and high gene expression is associated with a higher risk of disease-specific mortality in patients who may benefit from additional therapy.  For more information visit: www.prolaris.com.

About myChoice® HRD
Myriad's myChoice HRD is the first homologous recombination deficiency test that can detect when a tumor has lost the ability to repair double-stranded DNA breaks, resulting in increased susceptibility to DNA-damaging drugs such as platinum drugs or PARP inhibitors. High myChoice HRD scores reflective of DNA repair deficiencies are prevalent in all breast cancer subtypes, ovarian and most other major cancers.  In previously published data, Myriad showed that the myChoice HRD test predicted drug response to platinum therapy in certain patients with triple-negative breast and ovarian cancers.  It is estimated that 1.8 million people in the United States and Europe who are diagnosed with cancers annually may be candidates for treatment with DNA-damaging agents.  For more information visit: www.myriad.com.

About Myriad myPlan® Renal Cancer
Myriad myPlan Renal Cancer is a molecular prognostic test that measures the expression levels of cell cycle progression genes to provide an accurate assessment of cancer aggressiveness in patients with renal cell carcinoma.  For more information visit: https://www.myriad.com/.

About Myriad Genetics
Myriad Genetics Inc., is a leading personalized medicine company dedicated to being a trusted advisor transforming patient lives worldwide with pioneering molecular diagnostics.  Myriad discovers and commercializes molecular diagnostic tests that: determine the risk of developing disease, accurately diagnose disease, assess the risk of disease progression, and guide treatment decisions across six major medical specialties where molecular diagnostics can significantly improve patient care and lower healthcare costs.  Myriad is focused on three strategic imperatives:  transitioning and expanding its hereditary cancer testing markets, diversifying its product portfolio through the introduction of new products and increasing the revenue contribution from international markets.  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, Myriad myRisk, myRisk Hereditary Cancer, myChoice, myPlan, BRACAnalysis CDx, Tumor BRACAnalysis CDx, myChoice HRD, Vectra and Prolaris are trademarks or registered trademarks of Myriad Genetics, Inc. or its wholly owned subsidiaries in the United States and foreign countries. MYGN-F, MYGN-G
           
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements related to: the strong prognostic power of Prolaris testing to predict 10-year oncologic outcomes in patients with low-risk localized prostate cancer; the presentation of new data for the Company’s investigational renal and bladder cancer tests and the Company’s commitment to developing pioneering molecular diagnostic tests for other urologic diseases; the study results and suggested testing utility in each of the three announced studies; and the Company's strategic directives under the caption "About Myriad Genetics."  These "forward-looking statements" are based on management's current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the risk that sales and profit margins of our molecular diagnostic tests and pharmaceutical and clinical services may decline; risks related to our ability to transition from our existing product portfolio to our new tests, including unexpected costs and delays; risks related to decisions or changes in governmental or private insurers’ reimbursement levels for our tests or our ability to obtain reimbursement for our new tests at comparable levels to our existing tests; risks related to increased competition and the development of new competing tests and services; the risk that we may be unable to develop or achieve commercial success for additional molecular diagnostic tests and pharmaceutical and clinical services in a timely manner, or at all; the risk that we may not successfully develop new markets for our molecular diagnostic tests and pharmaceutical and clinical services, including our ability to successfully generate revenue outside the United States; the risk that licenses to the technology underlying our molecular diagnostic tests and pharmaceutical and clinical services and any future tests and services are terminated or cannot be maintained on satisfactory terms; risks related to delays or other problems with operating our laboratory testing facilities and our healthcare clinic; risks related to public concern over genetic testing in general or our tests in particular; risks related to regulatory requirements or enforcement in the United States and foreign countries and changes in the structure of the healthcare system or healthcare payment systems; risks related to our ability to obtain new corporate collaborations or licenses and acquire new technologies or businesses on satisfactory terms, if at all; risks related to our ability to successfully integrate and derive benefits from any technologies or businesses that we license or acquire; risks related to our projections about our business, results of operations and financial condition; risks related to the potential market opportunity for our products and services; the risk that we or our licensors may be unable to protect or that third parties will infringe the proprietary technologies underlying our tests; the risk of patent-infringement claims or challenges to the validity of our patents or other intellectual property; risks related to changes in intellectual property laws covering our molecular diagnostic tests and pharmaceutical and clinical services and patents or enforcement in the United States and foreign countries, such as the Supreme Court decision in the lawsuit brought against us by the Association for Molecular Pathology et al; risks of new, changing and competitive technologies and regulations in the United States and internationally; and other factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" contained in Item 1A of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2015, which has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as any updates to those risk factors filed from time to time in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K.  All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and Myriad undertakes no duty to update this information unless required by law.

Media Contact:
Ron Rogers		
(908) 285-0248	
rrogers@myriad.com

Investor Contact:
Scott Gleason
(801) 584-1143
sgleason@myriad.com

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