Guardant Health Joins Forces With Dak Prescott's Faith Fight Finish Foundation and Feist-Weiller Cancer Center's Partners in Wellness to Boost Colon Cancer Screening in Underserved Communities
Mobile screening events to be held during Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month (March) throughout northern and central Louisiana
PALO ALTO, Calif., March 05, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Guardant Health, Inc. (Nasdaq: GH), a leading precision oncology company, today announced a collaboration with Dak Prescott's Faith Fight Finish Foundation and the mobile cancer screening program, Partners in Wellness, an initiative of LSU Health Shreveport and Ochsner LSU Health—Feist-Weiller Cancer Center, to increase colorectal cancer screening rates in northern and central Louisiana.
Nationwide, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death, even though it is highly treatable when detected in early stages. An estimated 53,000 people in the U.S. died from the disease in 2024. Northern Louisiana has a particularly high colorectal cancer incidence rate, being home to 7 of the 11 highest prevalence areas in the state. Colon cancer is also more prevalent in African American populations, which represent 59% of Partners in Wellness patients.
Based out of Shreveport, Louisiana, Partners in Wellness brings mobile screening vans to more than 30 communities in northern and central Louisiana and offers critical cancer screenings that are open to everyone—regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. As a result of a generous gift from Dak Prescott's Faith Fight Finish Foundation, the program's vans will now offer the Shield blood test so that individuals can be screened for colon and rectal cancer with a simple blood draw taken right on the mobile unit. Colon cancer is one of four pillars of the foundation, in tribute to Prescott's mother, Margaret "Peggy" Prescott, who passed away in 2013 at the age of 52 after a courageous battle with Stage 4 colon cancer.
"Detecting colon cancer early—when it's treatable—can make all the difference in the outcome," said Prescott. "And now screening can be as simple and convenient as having your blood drawn. I'm grateful to be able to join forces with Guardant Health and Partners in Wellness to give more people in my home state of Louisiana the chance to complete their screening with a simple blood test, so they can have more time down the road to spend with family and friends."
Since 1999, the Partners in Wellness mobile cancer screening program has served more than 20,000 patients and provided more than 50,000 screenings at no cost to patients.
"Screening for early detection of colorectal cancer is critical in Louisiana, especially northern Louisiana, because this region has significantly higher occurrence and mortality rates from the disease than other parts of the country," said Dr. Richard Mansour, Interim Director of Feist-Weiller Cancer Center. "We're grateful for the way Dak is making it possible for so many people in our underserved communities to be screened much earlier for colon cancer."
Screening events during Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
Partners in Wellness will be holding multiple mobile screening events during the month of March (Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month). Community members eligible for colorectal cancer screening will be able to receive a Shield blood test at these events regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay. Results of the test are available in about two weeks. For more information about a screening event near you or to make an appointment, contact Partners in Wellness at 1-800-582-4523 or visit their website.
About Guardant Health
Guardant Health is a leading precision oncology company focused on guarding wellness and giving every person more time free from cancer. Founded in 2012, Guardant is transforming patient care and accelerating new cancer therapies by providing critical insights into what drives disease through its advanced blood and tissue tests, real-world data and AI analytics. Guardant tests help improve outcomes across all stages of care, including screening to find cancer early, monitoring for recurrence in early-stage cancer, and treatment selection for patients with advanced cancer. For more information, visit guardanthealth.com and follow the company on LinkedIn, X (Twitter) and Facebook.
About Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport—Feist-Weiller Cancer Center
Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport – Feist-Weiller Cancer Center brings together specialists from many fields to provide outstanding cancer care to the people of north Louisiana and the surrounding region. In addition to providing comprehensive, multidisciplinary cancer care, Feist-Weiller Cancer Center (FWCC) gives patients access to national cancer clinical trials. Collaboration between cancer researchers and treating physicians fosters a better understanding of cancer and leads to life-saving research breakthroughs. FWCC is also educating future leading oncologists through LSU Health Shreveport's Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program. As a designated Center of Excellence in Cancer Research, Treatment, and Education, Feist-Weiller Cancer Center offers preeminent care and services to patients across the region.
Guardant Health Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws, including statements regarding the potential utilities, values, benefits and advantages of Guardant Health's liquid biopsy tests or assays, which involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results and expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions, and actual outcomes and results could differ materially from these statements due to a number of factors. These and additional risks and uncertainties that could affect Guardant Health's financial and operating results and cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release include those discussed under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation" and elsewhere in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, and any current and periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission thereafter. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Guardant Health as of the date hereof, and Guardant Health disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements provided to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Guardant Health's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250305489187/en/
Contacts
Guardant Health Contacts
Investor Contact: Zarak Khurshidinvestors@guardanthealth.com
Media Contact: Michael Weistpress@guardanthealth.com +1 317-371-0035
Partners in Wellness Contacts Laurie Priftislpriftis@lsuhsfoundation.org 318-861-0855
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