BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR SHARES HER POWERFUL STORY OF HOW GENETIC TESTING PLAYED A PIVOTAL ROLE IN BECOMING CANCER-FREE

JUNE IS NATIONAL CANCER SURVIVOR MONTH

BACKGROUND:

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), as of January 2022, it is estimated that there are 18.1 million cancer survivors in the United States. This represents approximately 5.4% of the population. ACS has also reported the risk of dying from cancer in the United States has decreased over the past 28 years according to annual statistics, and the cancer death rate for men and women combined fell 32% from its peak in 1991 to 2019. As June marks National Cancer Survivor Month, it’s a time to celebrate and acknowledge that life after a cancer diagnosis is a reality for over 18 million Americans.

Caroline Yost was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018. The specialist she saw recommended genetic testing from Invitae, pursuing a STAT panel as well as a wider panel due to a family history of cancer. The STAT panel came back negative, so she pursued the wider panel and found the PMS2 gene variant, which means she has an increased risk for certain types of cancers – a condition called Lynch syndrome. After consulting with her doctor and considering her family’s history of cancer, the time had come for Caroline to make a tough decision that she felt could ultimately save her life – to have a double mastectomy and prophylactic total hysterectomy. Simultaneously, she made the easiest choice yet – to have her kids tested for the family variant of PMS2. Her children, thankfully, do not have the variant and having that information is a relief for Caroline and her family.

Though it was a scary time, Caroline felt empowered to take control of her personal and family health with life-changing information she received through genetic testing. She’s now a fierce advocate for the power and knowledge a genetic test can offer, and even works for the genetic testing company that helped guide her journey. Caroline shares her powerful story about surviving cancer, the importance of genetic testing and how genetic testing benefited her and helped safeguard the future of her family.

DID YOU KNOW?

Genetic testing for cancer is not just about assessing your risk. Genetic testing can help your doctor personalize your cancer treatment for you as an individual and can also help inform you of the chances of recurrence and the risk for another cancer elsewhere and how to best monitor for recurrence or second cancers.
Discovering that you have a genetic variant means that your family members may also be at risk. Access to your family’s information is important, whether it’s for peace of mind or as actionable health information.
Technological developments in recent years have made genetic testing options more affordable, and in many cases covered by insurance.

For more information please visit: www.invitae.com

MORE ABOUT CAROLINE YOST:

Caroline leads Invitae’s global marketing efforts for its oncology portfolio, driving adoption and utilization of Invitae’s genetic testing by patients and healthcare providers. She has extensive experience building, launching and transforming brands to target various customer types by turning insight into action to connect with customers to drive behavior change.

In this role, Caroline leads efforts to develop integrated, strategic marketing plans to support Invitae oncology offerings, pre-launch and launch plans for oncology products, while working closely with integrated teams to support Invitae’s mission to improve healthcare for everyone. She started her tenure at Invitae as the marketing lead for Invitae’s women’s health portfolio in 2022. Before joining the Invitae team, Caroline developed and delivered an integrated marketing strategy to achieve acquisition, growth and retention objectives across B2C, B2B and B2B2C in one of the nation’s fastest growing networks of fertility clinics. Caroline holds a Master’s degree from Georgia State University in early childhood education and a Bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University in human and organizational development.

Provided by: Invitae (pronounced in-VEE-tay)