Exact Sciences’ Cologuard® to be available through MDVIP Physicians

Exact Sciences’ Cologuard® to be available through MDVIP Physicians

MDVIPMDVIP, the leader in personalized preventive medicine with a nationwide network of over 750 affiliated primary care physicians, announced today that Cologuard®, the first and only Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved, noninvasive stool DNA screening test for colorectal cancer will now be available by prescription through its physicians. MDVIP is the first personalized healthcare network to partner with Exact Sciences to bring this innovative new test to its primary care physicians.

“MDVIP physicians have traditionally been early adopters of medical innovation,” says Dr. Andrea Klemes, Chief Medical Officer of MDVIP. “Cologuard, a significant advancement in colorectal cancer detection, will allow our patients who are 50 years and older and at average risk for colorectal cancer, an easy to use screening test which they can do in the privacy of their own home.”

Colorectal cancer is highly preventable with screening. However, 23 million Americans between ages 50 and 75 are not getting screened as recommended and, as a result, colorectal cancer remains the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in theUnited States. For those whose cancer is detected at an earlier stage, the five-year survival rate can be greater than 90 percent.

“A study published in The International Journal of Person Centered Medicine shows that patients in MDVIP practices comply with recommended preventive guidelines due to the fact that our doctors can spend more time with them and create a personalized wellness plan for each patient,” says Dr. Klemes. “It is our hope that this new tool will lead to even greater numbers of our patients being screened for colorectal cancer.”

“MDVIP’s adoption of Cologuard marks an important step for Exact Sciences in allowing a growing number of patients access to this clinically important cancer screening technology,” said Kevin Conroy, President, CEO and Chairman of Exact Sciences. “Colorectal cancer is often considered the most preventable, yet least prevented cancer due to the lack of patient compliance with screening. We look forward to working with MDVIP’s broad network of physicians toward a future where colorectal cancer is identified earlier and survived more often.”

The process is a simple one. Once an MDVIP physician orders the test, a kit is mailed directly to the patient’s home. Cologuard does not require dietary restrictions or bowel preparation prior to taking the test. The patient then collects a stool sample in the Cologuard collection kit and sends the kit back in a pre-paid mailer to the Exact Sciences lab for testing. At the lab, the stool sample is analyzed to yield a single test result—positive or negative for the presence of precancerous polyps or cancer. Patients learn of their results from their physician in as little as two weeks. Cologuard analyzes both stool-based DNA and blood biomarkers and is designed to detect DNA alterations and blood released from cancer and precancerous colon lesions. If a patient has a positive result, he or she will need to undergo colonoscopy.

– Originally posted by Exact Sciences