MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GRAIL, LLC, a healthcare company whose mission is to detect cancer early when it can be cured, has partnered with 2023 PGA TOUR Champions Player of the Year and 17-time PGA TOUR Champions winner Steve Stricker and World Golf Hall of Fame member Juli Inkster to continue to raise awareness of the benefits of multi-cancer early detection (MCED) at the second annual Galleri Classic, a PGA TOUR Champions tournament being held March 25-31, 2024 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Stricker — a 12-time PGA TOUR winner — will again be playing in the Galleri Classic. As part of his record-setting year on the PGA TOUR Champions in 2023, Stricker tied for fifth place in the inaugural tournament.
“I know from personal experience what it’s like to be caught off-guard by health concerns and how important it is to take proactive care of myself, especially as I’ve gotten older,” said Stricker. “I encourage others at elevated risk of cancer to speak with their doctor about adding the Galleri test into their routine care.”
Inkster, an LPGA and World Golf Hall of Fame member and 31-time winner on the LPGA Tour, including seven major championships, will be collaborating with GRAIL for a second year. After losing her father to late-stage esophageal and liver cancer, cancer screening is a cause close to her heart.
Proceeds from the tournament will fund local cancer-related nonprofit organizations focused on underserved populations. The tournament will support the six charitable partners announced in 2023, including the American Cancer Society (Palm Desert office), Desert Cancer Foundation, Eisenhower Health, Hanson House, Pendleton Foundation and Shay’s Warriors Life After Cancer. These nonprofits have a proven track record of engaging Coachella Valley populations in services along the continuum of cancer care including cancer education, risk reduction, and access to treatment and supportive care.
“We are honored to continue our support of six organizations in the Coachella Valley working tirelessly to help those affected by cancer,” said Bob Ragusa, Chief Executive Officer at GRAIL. “Cancer remains a leading cause of death worldwide, and by partnering with those who share our commitment, we can make a meaningful difference across the cancer continuum.”
Single-cancer screenings play an important role in detecting five specific cancers today. However, nearly 70% of deaths are caused by cancers that don’t have recommended screenings. A simple blood draw used in addition to current single-cancer screenings, Galleri can identify DNA shed by cancer cells to help screen for some of the deadliest cancers that do not have recommended screening today.
Cancers growing in the body shed DNA into the bloodstream. Galleri can identify DNA shed by cancer cells while the patient is still asymptomatic, when it can be more easily treated and is potentially curable. Data from the National Cancer Institute demonstrated that finding cancer early improves overall 5-year survival rates from approximately 20% to 90%. Advancing age is the most important risk factor for cancer, and adults over the age of 50 are 13 times more likely to have cancer compared to people under the age of 50.
Galleri, a prescription-only test, is recommended for people over the age of 50, or those with an elevated risk of cancer.
About GRAIL
GRAIL 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 developing pioneering technology to detect and identify multiple deadly cancer types early. The company is using the power of next-generation sequencing, population-scale clinical studies, and state-of-the-art computer science and data science to enhance the scientific understanding of cancer biology, and to develop its multi-cancer early detection blood test. GRAIL is headquartered in Menlo Park, CA with locations in Washington, D.C., North Carolina, and the United Kingdom. GRAIL, LLC, is a subsidiary of Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN) currently held separate from Illumina Inc. under the terms of the Interim Measures Order of the European Commission.
For more information, visit grail.com.
About Galleri®
The Galleri multi-cancer early detection test can detect a signal shared by more than 50 types of cancer, as defined by the American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging Manual, through a routine blood draw. When a cancer signal is detected, the Galleri test predicts the cancer signal origin, or the tissue or organ associated with the cancer signal, with high accuracy to help guide the next steps to diagnosis. The Galleri test requires a prescription from a licensed health care provider and should be used in addition to recommended cancer screenings such as mammography, colonoscopy, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, or cervical cancer screening. It is recommended for use in adults with an elevated risk for cancer, such as those aged 50 or older.
For more information about Galleri, visit galleri.com.
Important Galleri Safety Information
The Galleri test is recommended for use in adults with an elevated risk for cancer, such as those aged 50 or older. The Galleri test does not detect all cancers and should be used in addition to routine cancer screening tests recommended by a healthcare provider. Galleri is intended to detect cancer signals and predict where in the body the cancer signal is located. Use of Galleri is not recommended in individuals who are pregnant, 21 years old or younger, or undergoing active cancer treatment.
Results should be interpreted by a healthcare provider in the context of medical history, clinical signs and symptoms. A test result of “No Cancer Signal Detected” does not rule out cancer. A test result of “Cancer Signal Detected” requires confirmatory diagnostic evaluation by medically established procedures (e.g., imaging) to confirm cancer.
If cancer is not confirmed with further testing, it could mean that cancer is not present or testing was insufficient to detect cancer, including due to the cancer being located in a different part of the body. False-positive (a cancer signal detected when cancer is not present) and false-negative (a cancer signal not detected when cancer is present) test results do occur. Rx only.
Laboratory/Test Information
GRAIL’s clinical laboratory is certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA) and accredited by the College of American Pathologists. The Galleri test was developed, and its performance characteristics were determined by GRAIL. The Galleri test has not been cleared or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. GRAIL’s clinical laboratory is regulated under CLIA to perform high-complexity testing. The Galleri test is intended for clinical purposes.
