Assay for increased invasiveness of epithelial cells

摘要

A method for determining relative invasiveness of an epithelial tumor, which comprises determining a prognostic amount of a prognostic marker selected from the group consisting of E-cadherin and alpha -catenin in a cell sample obtained from a cell source potentially containing cells of the epithelial tumor and comparing the prognostic amount to a normal amount of the prognostic marker in the cell source, wherein when the prognostic amount is less than the normal amount, the sample is indicative of increased invasiveness potential of the cells of the epithelial tumor. The method can also be used to monitor the effectiveness of treatment regimens and to screen candidate compounds for use in the treatment of epithelial tumors.