About EXACT Sciences

EXACT Sciences is developing technologies that help to eradicate mortality from common cancers— starting with colorectal cancer — by applying advances in the field of genomics to facilitate the early detection of disease.

EXACT Sciences’ first target is colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer deaths and the most deadly cancer among non-smoking men and women in the United States. Annually, there are nearly 154,000 colorectal cancer cases diagnosed and 52,000 deaths due to this disease. It is estimated that roughly one-third of colorectal cancer-related deaths could be saved if more people underwent regular screening. Of those diagnosed, nearly half are expected to die within five years, since most cancers are detected when the cancer is less treatable. For those whose cancer is detected at an earlier stage, the five-year survival rate can be greater than 90%. The American Cancer Society recommends that all Americans age 50 and older be screened regularly for colorectal cancer. Unfortunately, only a fraction of this population is screened for the disease, as currently available screening technologies are considered by many as either too invasive or inaccurate.

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