GRAIL Partners With Actress Kate Walsh for Generation Possible to Raise Awareness of Multi-Cancer Early Detection Testing
PRNewswire 25-Feb-2025 9:00 AM
MENLO PARK, Calif., Feb. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- GRAIL, Inc. (NASDAQ:GRAL) a healthcare company whose mission is to detect cancer early when it can be cured, has partnered with award-winning actress Kate Walsh to launch Generation Possible, an educational initiative to raise awareness of multi-cancer early detection (MCED) testing. Generation Possible underscores the importance of thinking about the future—not just for ourselves, but for our loved ones. This generation is the first with access to MCED tests that help screen for many of the deadliest cancers before symptoms appear.1
Walsh has seen the devastating impact a cancer diagnosis can have through each of her parents' cancer journeys. These experiences led to her passion for living a healthy lifestyle, her commitment to getting her recommended cancer screenings and her advocacy for new health advances.
Cancer remains a major public health crisis and nearly half (46%) of Americans aged 50-75 are worried about a cancer diagnosis.2,3 It's critical to get the cancer screenings your doctor recommends, such as mammograms and colonoscopies. Yet, only five types of cancer have recommended screening tests and about 70% of cancer deaths are caused by cancers with no recommended screening tests.2,4 When cancer is diagnosed early, before it has time to spread, the overall 5-year survival rate is four times higher than when cancer is diagnosed late.5
"Each of us would do whatever it takes for the ones we love, including protecting our health in any way we can. My parents didn't have an option to screen for multiple cancers beyond recommended screenings before there were symptoms," said Walsh. "I wish there had been a way to find my dad's cancer sooner because he may have had more options for treatment. This is the first generation that has access to multi-cancer early detection tests, in addition to recommended cancer screenings. I'm glad to be partnering with GRAIL on Generation Possible to help others understand the possibilities of MCED testing."
MCED tests are a new screening tool for multiple cancers that do not have recommended screening tests today.2,4 Health advancements have given today's generation access to new options that give more control when it comes to cancer screening.
"At GRAIL, we are driven by the potential of MCED testing to exponentially change the paradigm of cancer screening in this generation and those to come," said Josh Ofman, MD, MSHS, President at GRAIL. "Our research tells us that when most older Americans hear about the benefits of MCED testing, they want to learn more.3 We recognize our responsibility to educate more people, and we're thrilled to team up with Kate to drive awareness of the benefits of screening for multiple cancers."
More information about Generation Possible can be found at GenPossible.com, including Walsh's personal connection to cancer, details about MCED testing and access to important resources. Those considering MCED testing are able to take a quiz to determine if it may be appropriate for them and may choose to use the provided doctor discussion guide to communicate with their physician. MCED tests are prescription only tests, are recommended for adults with an elevated risk for cancer, such as those age 50 or older, and are to be used in addition to recommended cancer screenings.
About GRAIL, Inc.
GRAIL, Inc. is a healthcare company whose mission is to detect cancer early, when it can be cured. GRAIL is focused on alleviating the global burden of cancer by using the power of next-generation sequencing, population-scale clinical studies, and state-of-the-art machine learning, software, and automation to detect and identify multiple deadly cancer types in earlier stages. GRAIL's targeted methylation-based platform can support the continuum of care for screening and precision oncology, including multi-cancer early detection in symptomatic patients, risk stratification, minimal residual disease detection, biomarker subtyping, treatment and recurrence monitoring. GRAIL is headquartered in Menlo Park, CA with locations in Washington, D.C., North Carolina, and the United Kingdom.
For more information, visit grail.com.
References:
- Klein EA, Richards D, Cohn A, et al. Clinical validation of a targeted methylation-based multi-cancer early detection test using an independent validation set. Ann Oncol. 2021 Sep;32(9):1167-77. doi: 10.1016/j.annonc.2021.05.806
- American Cancer Society. Cancer facts & figures 2022. https://www.cancer.org/research/cancer-facts-statistics/all-cancer-facts-figures/cancer-facts-figures-2022.html [GRAIL, LLC. Data on file: GA-2021-0065]
- GRAIL survey, with data collection by Ipsos: n=1,000 US adults aged 50-75, fielded online between August 12 and 21, 2024. Sample was weighted to reflect U.S. Census data (for Americans aged 50-75) on age, gender, race/ethnicity, income, and region. The sample has a credibility interval, a measure of precision for online polls, of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
- U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Rockville, MD: U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Recommended cancer screening tests, Grade A,B,C. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/topic_search_results.
- Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program SEER*Stat Database: Incidence – SEER 18 Regs Research Data, 2018 Nov Sub. Includes persons aged 50-79 diagnosed 2006-2015. [GRAIL, LLC. Data on file: GA-2021-004]
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