NASHVILLE, Tenn., & MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE: HCA), one of the nation’s leading healthcare providers, Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute, part of HCA Healthcare, and GRAIL, LLC, a healthcare company with a mission of detecting cancer early when it can be cured, today announced a strategic collaboration to advance comprehensive cancer care through early detection. Starting today, GRAIL’s Galleri® multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test will be available to patients who meet screening criteria at select HCA Healthcare physician practices.
More than 600,000 people die from cancer each year in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. This is in large part because some of the deadliest cancers are found too late when outcomes are often poor. Recommended screening tests save lives, but only cover five cancer types in the U.S.: breast, colon, cervical, prostate, and, in high-risk adults, lung. In fact, approximately 70% of cancer deaths have no recommended early detection screening.
The Galleri test, available by prescription only, is the first clinically validated MCED test that can detect a shared cancer signal across more than 50 types of cancers using a simple blood draw. The MCED test offers a fundamentally different blood-based approach intended to be used in addition to recommended single cancer screenings.
“As a leader in cancer prevention and care, this is an opportunity to be at the forefront of a new age of cancer screening,” said Chris Ott, MD, FACEP, chief medical officer at HCA Healthcare Physician Services. “This partnership allows us to support our patients and clinicians by offering cutting-edge innovation, including GRAIL’s groundbreaking MCED test, as part of our comprehensive cancer care programs.”
Recognizing the Galleri test is a new paradigm in cancer screening, Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute will leverage its leading nurse navigation program to support patients and providers through the diagnostic journey following a positive Galleri test result. Plans to enhance patient experience and outcomes include standardizing patient and provider education, developing evidence-based diagnostic pathways, and facilitating timely evaluations.
“Sarah Cannon has been working with GRAIL for several years to advance the study of early cancer detection testing,” said Dax Kurbegov, MD, vice president and physician-in-chief of Clinical Programs at Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute. “Nurse navigation is an essential part of oncology care, and we believe this partnership will help us to think critically about the most useful support needed for the patient when obtaining this type of test, both today and in the future, as we establish this best-in-class offering.”
HCA Healthcare is also participating in the PATHFINDER 2 multi-center interventional study of the Galleri test in Nashville, Asheville, Austin, and Denver. The company’s research partner, Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI) and its contract research organization, will conduct a retrospective study focused on patient and provider outcome-based metrics and quality of care related to MCED testing as part of the initiative.
“HCA Healthcare and Sarah Cannon are aligned with GRAIL’s mission to improve the detection of cancer at earlier stages, when the chances of successful treatment are higher,” said Jeffrey Venstrom, MD, chief medical officer at GRAIL. “In addition to HCA Healthcare offering the Galleri test, the use of Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute’s nurse navigation program to support both patients and healthcare providers around MCED screening is the first of its kind. This program will provide critical insights about cancer detection and appropriate diagnostic follow-up.”
Talk to your primary care physician to determine if Galleri may be right for you. To learn more about MCED testing, visit sarahcannon.com/for-patients/learn-about-cancer/multi-cancer-early-detection/
About HCA Healthcare
Nashville-based HCA Healthcare is one of the nation’s leading providers of healthcare services comprising 182 hospitals and approximately 2,300 ambulatory sites of care, including surgery centers, freestanding ERs, urgent care centers, and physician clinics, in 20 states and the United Kingdom. With its founding in 1968, HCA Healthcare created a new model for hospital care in the United States, using combined resources to strengthen hospitals, deliver patient-focused care and improve the practice of medicine. HCA Healthcare has conducted a number of clinical studies, including one that demonstrated that full-term delivery is healthier than early elective delivery of babies and another that identified a clinical protocol that can reduce bloodstream infections in ICU patients by 44%. HCA Healthcare is a learning health system that uses its more than 37 million annual patient encounters to advance science, improve patient care and save lives.
About Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute
Sarah Cannon is the Cancer Institute of HCA Healthcare. We offer integrated cancer services for people facing cancer in communities across the United States. Sarah Cannon’s cancer programs include individualized patient navigation provided by oncology-trained nurses, ~1,200 stem cell transplants performed annually throughout the Sarah Cannon Transplant and Cellular Therapy Network, and more. Our programs address every aspect of the cancer journey, from screening and diagnosis through treatment and survivorship. Sarah Cannon is providing world-class cancer care close to home for hundreds of thousands of patients, a number unmatched by any single cancer center. To learn more about Sarah Cannon, visit sarahcannon.com.
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 earlier that cancer is detected, the higher the chance of successful outcomes. 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 “Cancer Signal Not 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.
All references to “Company,” “HCA” and “HCA Healthcare” as used throughout this document refer to HCA Healthcare, Inc. and its affiliates.
