Patent ID: 8771963

Claim:
A method for diagnosing cancer in a subject, comprising the steps of: (a) collecting a blood sample from a subject suspected to be suffering from an esophageal cancer or lung cancer expressing DKK1 protein; (b) determining a level of DKK1 protein in the blood sample; (c) comparing the DKK1 protein level determined in step (b) with that of a normal control obtained from a population not suffering from cancer; and (d) judging that a DKK1 protein level in the blood sample which is at least 10% higher than the normal control indicates that the subject suffers from esophageal cancer or lung cancer; and (e) providing a diagnosis for a choice of treatment if the DKK1 protein level indicates that the subject suffers from esophageal cancer or lung cancer, wherein the diagnosis has a sensitivity of 63.7% and a specificity of 95.9%.