Patent ID: 7354713

Claim:
A method for determining prognosis of breast cancer comprising the steps of: determining the mRNA level of estrogen-related receptor Î³ (ERRÎ³) in breast cancer cells of a breast cancer patient; and comparing the ERRÎ³ mRNA level of the patient to a median ERRÎ³ mRNA level of a population of at least twenty-five breast cancer patients as expressed in their breast cancer cells wherein breast cancer patients with an ERRÎ³ mRNA level higher than the median level have good prognosis and breast cancer patients with an ERRÎ³ mRNA level lower than the median level have poor prognosis in that breast cancer patients with an ERRÎ³ mRNA level higher than the median level are more likely to respond to hormonal blockade therapy than breast cancer patients with an ERRÎ³ mRNA level lower than the median level.