Patent ID: 8110347

Claim:
A method for identifying a prognosis for survival of a patient with colorectal cancer and lymph node metastases comprising: (a) contacting a suspension of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and human sera from said patient with lipopolysaccharide; (b) measuring the amount of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the suspension of (a); and (c) classifying said patient as having a reduced prognosis for survival when the amount of IL-6 measured in the suspension of (a) is above the amount of IL-6 in a suspension of lipopolysaccharide, and PBMCs and sera from a human with colorectal cancer and a good prognosis for survival; or (d) classifying said patient as having an increased prognosis for survival when the amount of IL-6 measured in the mixture of (a) is equivalent to the amount of IL-6 in a suspension of lipopolysaccharide, and PBMCs and sera from a human with colorectal cancer and a good prognosis for survival.