Patent ID: 7767422

Claim:
A method of detecting an amplifiable extracellular human 5T4 RNA in blood plasma or serum from a post-partum woman without cancer, the method comprising the steps of: a) extracting extracellular RNA from blood plasma or serum from a post-partum woman without cancer, a portion of said extracted extracellular RNA comprising an amplifiable extracellular human 5T4 RNA; b) amplifying said portion of said RNA extracted from the blood plasma or serum from the post-partum woman without cancer, or cDNA prepared therefrom, wherein said portion comprises an amplifiable extracellular human 5T4 RNA, or a fragment thereof and wherein said amplifying step is performed in either a qualitative or quantitative fashion using oligonucleotide primers specific for the 5T4 RNA or cDNA, or a fragment thereof; and c) detecting the extracellular human 5T4 RNA or cDNA amplified according to step (b).