Patent ID: 7282346

Claim:
A method for making a prognosis of disease course in a human breast or prostate cancer patient, the method comprising the step of: (a) obtaining a sample of a tumor from the human cancer patient; (b) determining a level of nuclear localization of p53 protein in the tumor sample and comparing the level of nuclear localization of p53 protein in the tumor sample with the level of nuclear localization of p53 protein in a non-invasive, non-metastatic tumor sample; (c) determining a level of thrombospondin 1 expression in the tumor sample and comparing the level of thrombospondin 1 expression in the tumor sample with the level of thromobospoin 1 expression in a non-invasive, non-metastatic tumor sample; (d) determining by immunohistochemistry an extent of microvascularization in the tumor sample and comparing the extent of microvascularization in the tumor sample with the extent of microvascularization in a non-invasive, non-metastatic tumor sample; and (e) preparing a prognostic index comprising the results of the determination of the levels of nuclear localization of p53, thrombospondin 1 expression, and the extent of microvascularization in the tumor sample, wherein said prognosis is predicted from considering a likelihood of further neoplastic disease which is made when the level of nuclear localization of p53 protein in the tumor sample is greater than the level of nuclear localization of p53 protein in the non-invasive, non-metastatic tumor sample; the level of thrombospondin 1 expression in the tumor sample is less than the level of thromobospondin 1 expression in the non-invasive, non-metastatic tumor sample; and the extent of microvascularization in the tumor sample is greater than the extent of microvascularization in the non-invasive, non-metastatic tumor sample.