Identification of cancer protein biomarkers using proteomic techniques

A method comprising:

• (a) measuring the expression level of proteins that consist essentially of prolactin, osteopontin (OPN), leptin, and at least one additional protein in a sample from a female subject, wherein the at least one additional protein is selected from macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), insulin-like growth factor (IGF-II), 6Ckine, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), E-Selectin, epidermal growth factor (EGF), eotaxin-2 (Eot-2), epidermal growth factor receptor 1 (ErbB 1), follistatin, hemofiltrate CC chemokine 4 (HCC4), herpes virus entry mediator (HVEM), insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 (IGFBP-2), interleukin-17 (IL-17), interleukin 1 soluble receptor II (IL-1sRII), interleukin 2 soluble receptor alpha (IL-2 sRα), macrophage colony stimulating factor receptor (M-CSF R), macrophage inflammatory protein 1alpha (MIP-1α), macrophage inflammatory protein 3 beta (MIP3β), matrix Metalloproteinase-8(MMP-8), matrix metalloproteinase 7 (MMP-7), myeloid progenitor inhibitory factor 1 (MPIF-1), pulmonary and activation-regulated chemokine (PARC), platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGF R β), protein C, tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNF-RI), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), soluble Vascular Adhesion Protein-1(sVAP-1), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGF R2), VEGF receptor 3 (VEGF R3), human stratum corneum chymotryptic enzyme (HSCCE), kallikrein 4, kallikrein 5, kallikrein 6 (protease M), kallikrein 8, kallikrein 9, kallikrein 10, cancer antigen 125 (CA 125), CA15-3, CA19-9, OVX1, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), prostasin, CA54-61, CA72, HMFG2, interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), LSA, NB70K, PLAP, TAG72, TPA, UGTF, WAP four-disulfide core domain 2 (HE4), matrix metalloprotease 2, tetranectin, inhibin, mesothelin, MUC1, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), NOTCH3, E2F transcription factor 3 (E2F3), GTPase activating protein (RACGAP1), hemotological and neurological expressed 1 (HN1), apolipoprotein A1, laminin, claudin 3 (CLDN3), claudin 4, tumor-associated calcium signal transducer 1 (TROP-1/Ep-CAM), tumor-associated calcium signal transducer 2 (TROP-2), ladinin 1, S100A2, SERPIN2 (PAI-2), CD24, lipocalin 2, matriptase (TADG-15), stratifin, transforming growth factor-beta receptor III (TGF-β-RIII), platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha, SEMACAP3, ras homology gene family member I (ARHI), thrombospondin 2, disabled-2/differentially expressed in ovarian carcinoma 2 (Dab2/DOC2), and haptoglobin-alpha subunit in the sample from the subject;
• (b) comparing the expression level of each of the measured proteins to a reference sample for each of the measured proteins;
• and
• (c) determining if there is a significant difference in the expression level of each of the measured proteins in the sample as compared to the reference sample.