-- New tool launched at the 2016 ASCO Annual Meeting along with presentation of new data underscoring the importance of genetic testing in cancer care --

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- To help community oncologists more easily follow clinical guidelines on the use of genetic testing, Invitae Corporation (NYSE: NVTA), a genetic information company, today announced the availability of CancerCHECK (Cancer Complete Hereditary Evaluation Clinic Kit), a comprehensive support program. CancerCHECK provides checklists, information, and customized support free of charge for clinicians considering genetic testing for hereditary breast, ovarian, and colorectal cancers. The company made the announcement alongside new data on genetic testing in cancer presented at the 2016 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.

CancerCHECK Helps Clinicians Easily Follow Guidelines

CancerCHECK provides step-by-step support for clinicians using genetic testing:

• Checklist to identify appropriate candidates for genetic testing
• Guidelines-based genetic testing panels to consider based on patient criteria
• Treatment guidelines for the genes within each panel
• Additional information and resources, including board-certified genetic counselors who can help clinicians select the right test and interpret results at no additional charge

“Testing for hereditary cancer susceptibility can be a complex process that benefits from extensive support for clinicians,” said Robert Nussbaum, MD, chief medical officer of Invitae. “Along with offering high quality testing at low prices across an ever-expanding number of genes, Invitae helps simplify the process with CancerCHECK, ensuring that clinicians always have access to expert clinical support. Should there be questions for specific cases, the clinician can contact a local genetic counselor or may call Invitae’s Clinical Consult Service.”

CancerCHECK directly supports implementation of the most recent NCCN Guidelines and supports the needs identified in the 2015 ASCO genetic and genomic testing policy statement by providing education and support for physicians to use genetic testing most effectively to improve diagnosis and treatment for patients.

To learn more about CancerCHECK and to order this resource for your practice, visit invitae.com/cancercheck.

Data at ASCO Further Validates Importance of Genetic Testing in Cancer Care

This year’s ASCO meeting includes more than 150 abstracts, presentations, and posters on the increasing role of multigene panel testing in the identification and management of patients at risk of hereditary cancers. Among them:

• Prospective registry of multiplex testing (PROMPT): A web-based platform to assess cancer risk of genetic variants (Board #341) provides an update on patients enrolled in the PROMPT registry (in which Invitae participates), including most commonly reported variants in multiple hereditary cancer genes and the corresponding incidence of diseases.
• Variant classifications in BRCA1 and BRCA2: A systematic analysis of interlaboratory concordance (Board #415) uses Clinvar to demonstrate that variant classifications in BRCA1 and BRCA2 are highly concordant across major clinical testing laboratories in a patient population of roughly 20,000, adding to the weight of evidence supporting confidence in Invitae’s clinical interpretation of patient genetic testing results.
• Effect of patient directed input on genetic testing in the surgical setting (Abstract e13117) demonstrates the effectiveness of Invitae’s Family History Tool to improve the accuracy of patient-reported information, increasing appropriate use of genetic testing to identify abnormalities without triggering over-testing.
• Critical co-diagnostic or ancillary assessment: Germline testing for patients with somatic tumor profiling (Abstract e13123) found that a substantial fraction of patients with mutations detected by tumor assays in fact carry both germline and somatic mutations. This suggests that somatic testing in cancer is an important entry point for germline testing, which in turn can help guide ongoing management of patients and family members.
• Distribution of genetic variants detected via next-generation sequencing in an international private practice (Abstract e13032) demonstrated feasibility of Invitae’s panel test in Singapore, a multi-ethnic society. At the same time, discrepancies in the frequency of pathogenic variants versus variants of unknown significance (VUS) between Caucasian and non-Caucasian patients observed by all labs highlight the value of expanding variant data collection to include ethnically diverse patients in order to improve the care of these patients.

“The presentations at ASCO again highlight the enormous potential of genetics to improve care for cancer patients,” said Steven Tucker, MD, FACP, FAMS oncologist and co-author of Abstract e13032. “It’s essential that we continue to provide community oncologists and patients with the tools, information, and support needed to effectively leverage genetic information.”

Invitae Pricing

Invitae offers a transparent pricing structure independent of the number of genes required to provide an accurate diagnosis within a single clinical area. For payers and institutions that are in contract with Invitae, the price per clinical area can be as low as $950, depending on the payer’s requirements. For third-party payers with whom Invitae is out-of-network and for non-contracted institutions, the price per clinical area is $1,500. In addition, for patients without third-party insurance coverage or who do not meet insurance criteria for coverage, Invitae offers its full test menu for $475 per clinical area (see website for more details).

About Invitae

Invitae Corporation's (NYSE: NVTA) mission is to bring comprehensive genetic information into mainstream medical practice to improve the quality of healthcare for billions of people. Invitae’s goal is to aggregate most of the world’s genetic tests into a single service with higher quality, faster turnaround time, and lower price than many single-gene and panel tests today. The company currently provides a diagnostic service comprising hundreds of genes for a variety of genetic disorders associated with oncology, cardiology, neurology, pediatrics, and other rare disease areas. For more information, visit our website at invitae.com.

Safe Harbor Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements relating to the company’s CancerCHECK tool helping clinicians more easily follow clinical practice guidelines and the potential for genetic testing to improve care for cancer patients. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the company’s history of losses; the company’s need to scale its infrastructure in advance of demand for its tests and to increase demand for its tests; the company’s ability to develop and commercialize new tests and expand into new markets; the risk that the company may not obtain or maintain sufficient levels of reimbursement for its tests; risks associated with the company’s ability to use rapidly changing genetic data to interpret test results accurately and consistently; the company’s ability to compete; laws and regulations applicable to the company’s business, including state licensing requirements and potential regulation by the Food and Drug Administration; and the other risks set forth in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risks set forth in the company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2016. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and Invitae Corporation disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

NOTE: Invitae and the Invitae logo are trademarks of Invitae Corporation. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160606005471/en/

Source: Invitae Corporation