Patent ID: 8679746

Claim:
A method for predicting the outcome of 5-FU treatment in a subject having a breast cancer, wherein said subject has not previously undergone 5-FU treatment, the method comprising the steps: a) determining the gene copy number of each of at least two markers from the 5-FU pathway in an isolated breast cancer sample from said subject, wherein the at least two markers are TYMS and DHFR, b) detecting a decreased copy number of at least one of the markers, and c) predicting the outcome of the 5-FU treatment in said subject based on the gene copy number levels detected, wherein a decrease in the gene copy number for either TYMS or DHFR in the breast cancer sample is predictive of breast cancer resistance to 5-FU treatment; and wherein the decrease in TYMS and DHFR gene copy number is measured with reference to at least one reference marker, wherein the at least one reference marker comprises a centromere probe.