Patent ID: 6835541
Filing Date: 2004-12-28
Classification: C12Q

Abstract:
A method of diagnosing primary breast cancer in a subject comprising determining the state of methylation of one or more CpG islands in the promoter of RAR &bgr;2 nucleic acids isolated from a sample comprising blood, plasma, lymph, duct cells, ductal lavage fluid, nipple aspiration fluid, breast tissue, lymph nodes, bone marrow, or a combination thereof of the subject, wherein a state of hypermethylation of one or more CpG islands in the promoter of RAR &bgr;2 nucleic acids as compared with the state of methylation of one or more CpG islands in the promoter of RAR &bgr;2 nucleic acids in comparable samples obtained from normal subjects is indicative of primary breast cancer in the subject.