Patent ID: 7229770
Filing Date: 2007-06-12
Classification: A61K,A61P,C07K,C12Q,G01N

Abstract:
1. A method for estimating survival expectancy of a cancer patient, said method comprising: (a) obtaining a biological fluid sample comprising human YKL-40 from a cancer patient having at least a preliminary diagnosis of a cancer, wherein the sample is collected either prior to surgery for the cancer or at the time of first recurrence of the cancer, selected from the group consisting of a lung cancer, a bronchus cancer, a colorectal cancer, a prostate cancer, a pancreas cancer, a stomach cancer, an ovarian cancer, a urinary bladder cancer, a brain or an esophageal cancer, a cervical cancer, a melanoma, a uterine or endometrial cancer, a cancer of the oral cavity or pharynx, a liver cancer, a kidney cancer, a biliary tract cancer, a small bowel or appendix cancer, a salivary gland cancer, a thyroid gland cancer, an adrenal gland cancer, a testes cancer; and (b) measuring the level of said YKL-40 in said sample and comparing the sample YKL-40 level to the YKL-40 level found in the same sample from normal healthy humans wherein a sample YKL-40 level above 95% of the YKL-40 levels in the same sample from said normal healthy humans is an indicator of a reduced survival expectancy compared to patients with normal YKL-40 level.