In less than five years, more than two million Americans have screened for colorectal cancer with Cologuard. Exact Sciences Corp., which created the groundbreaking product with Mayo Clinic, processed more than one million Cologuard tests in the last year alone. Nearly half of the people screened with Cologuard had not previously been screened for colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States.i

“Cologuard is changing how Americans get screened for colorectal cancer and, importantly, helping many people do so for the first time,” said Kevin Conroy, chairman and CEO of Exact Sciences. “Reaching this milestone, just a year after the first million patients screened with Cologuard, means more patients and healthcare providers are empowered by early detection when colorectal cancer is more treatable.”

Since 2014, more than 150,000 healthcare providers have ordered Cologuard. Based on Cologuard’s detection rate for early stage colorectal cancer and precancerous polyps, Exact Sciences estimates the test may have helped detect as many as 9,400 early-stage cancers and approximately 64,000 pre-cancerous polyps.ii

“With the support of our unique 24/7 customer care team, the number of people being screened for colorectal cancer is increasing,” said Mark Stenhouse, president of Cologuard. “In 2019, we are focused on accelerating this momentum with the addition of a second lab and growing workforce, our partnerships with Pfizer and Epic, and an ongoing commitment to providing excellent customer care.”

This announcement comes ahead of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, which is celebrated annually in March. Despite colorectal cancer being considered the most preventable form of cancer, one in three Americans age 50 and older are not up-to-date with recommended screening.iii When colorectal cancer is detected in Stage I, about 90 percent of patients survive five-years, and the removal of precancerous lesions can prevent the disease. Only about 14 percent of patients survive five-years when the disease is detected in Stage IV. Read the full story here.