FOLATE RECEPTOR ALPHA AS A DIAGNOSTIC AND PROGNOSTIC MARKER FOR FOLATE RECEPTOR ALPHA-EXPRESSING CANCERS

摘要

The present invention provides methods and kits for assessing whether a subject is afflicted with an FRa-expressing cancer, methods and kits for predicting the progression of ovarian cancer in a subject afflicted with an FRa-expressing cancer, methods and kits for assessing the level of risk that a subject will develop an FRa- expressing cancer, and methods of stratifying a subject with an FRa-expressing cancer into cancer therapy groups. The methods involve determining the level of folate receptor alpha (FRa) which is not bound to a cell in a sample derived from the subject and comparing this level with the level of FRa in a control sample.