Patent ID: 7910336

Claim:
A method for detecting a human telomerase-associated RNA and a mutated human K-ras DNA from blood plasma or serum from a human with pancreatic cancer, the method comprising the steps of: a) extracting extracellular human nucleic acids from blood plasma or serum from a human with pancreatic cancer, wherein a portion of said extracellular human nucleic acids comprise a human telomerase-associated RNA and a mutated human K-ras DNA; b) amplifying said portion of said extracellular human nucleic acids using primers or probes specific for said human telomerase-associated RNA or cDNA derived therefrom and specific for said mutated human K-ras DNA, and producing amplified products; and c) detecting said human telomerase-associated RNA and said mutated human K-ras DNA based on the amplified products.