Patent ID: 8101359

Claim:
A method for detecting the risk of relapse in a human subject having an estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer following adjuvant therapeutic treatment, comprising: i) obtaining from the subject, a biological sample comprising breast cancer cell genomic DNA to be analyzed for methylation status, wherein the treatment comprises the administration of tamoxifen; ii) contacting the genomic DNA in the sample with at least one agent for distinguishing between methylated and non-methylated CpG dinucleotide sequences; iii) determining the CpG methylation status of at least one to six CpG dinucleotides of SEQ ID NO:83 or complements thereof; and iv) determining the methylation status of DNA in iii) wherein hypomethylation of the DNA in iii) is indicative of a low risk for relapse following adjuvant therapeutic treatment and hypermethylation of the DNA in iii) is indicative of a high risk for relapse following adjuvant therapeutic treatment, thereby detecting the risk of relapse following adjuvant therapeutic treatment.