Patent ID: 7449340

Claim:
A method for diagnosis of malignant neoplasms derived from epithelial tissue cells in a subject comprising the steps of: (i) providing at least a first and second fecal sample from said subject; (ii) treating said fecal samples to obtain feces-derived bacteria samples; (iii) identifying in the feces-derived bacteria samples one or more types of bacteria; (iv) determining for each of said one or more types of bacteria its relative fraction from a total count of bacteria in one of the feces-derived bacteria samples; (v) isolating one or more types of bacteria from one or both of the feces-derived bacteria samples; (vi) preparing a diagnostic sample containing bacteria of the one or more types isolated in step (v), the fraction of each of the one or more types of bacteria in said diagnostic sample corresponding to the relative fraction thereof in the fecal samples, as determined in step (iv); (vii) interacting said diagnostic sample with cells for a time period sufficient to detect lysis of said cells, thereby determining for said fecal sample a tumor cell necrosis index (TCNI) with the following equation: ( a−b )/ a× 100= C wherein C=the tumor cell necrosis index (TCNI) a=the number of cells in the negative control samples (without the bacteria) or the number of standard cells destroyed in the presence of the control bacteria; b=the number of cells not destroyed by the tested sample; and (viii) diagnosing said subject as having or not having a malignant neoplasms derived from epithelial tissue cells in accordance with the TCNI value determined in step (vii).