Patent ID: 8053196

Claim:
A method to detect the presence and/or clinical course of a neoplastic disease in an individual, wherein the method comprises the steps of: (1) measuring a first individual's plasma level of a thrombospondin fragment or fragments, the plasma level of said fragment or fragments in the first individual being the first individual's plasma fragment level; (2) measuring, in a second individual, the plasma level of the same thrombospondin fragment or fragments measured for the first individual, said second individual considered to not have neoplastic disease, the plasma level of said fragment or fragments in the second individual being the second individual's plasma fragment level; (3) utilizing the results of steps (1) and (2) in a diagnosis as to whether the first individual has a neoplastic disease such that the greater the extent to which the first individual's plasma fragment level exceeds the second individual's plasma fragment level the more likely that the diagnosis will be that a neoplastic disease is present in the first individual; said fragment or fragments being at least 6 continuous amino acyl residues in length but of a molecular weight of 140 kDa or less; wherein the size in kDa is that determined by gel electrophoresis after disulfide bond reduction.