Anti-cancer treatment of preselected subjects and screening methods to identify susceptible subjects

A method of screening a subject for a proliferative disease risk factor, comprising detecting the presence or absence of target cells that do not express the biomarker TPM4 (tropomyosin 4) or a splice variant thereof and detecting the presence or absence of target cells that do express the biomarker Hes3 in said subject;

• the presence of target cells that do not express TPM4 and do express Hes3 indicating said subject is at increased risk of developing a proliferative disease selected from cancer, tumor metastasis or tumor recurrence, characterized in that said detecting the presence or absence of target cells comprises
• detecting the expression by said target cells of the biomarker TPM4 (tropomyosin 4);
• Ensembl ID:
• ENSG00000167460;
• or a splice variant thereof, and
• detecting the expression by said target cells of the biomarker Hes3 Ensembl ID:
• ENSG00000173673,
• wherein the absence and/or non-expression of the biomarker TPM4 or a splice variant thereof and the presence and/or expression of Hes3 are indicators for the susceptibility of said subject for a positive treatment outcome with said an anti-proliferative compound;
• and
• wherein said antiproliferative compound is selected from the group consisting of bithionate Na, broxyquinoline, clioquinol, clofoctol, ebselen, lasalocid Na, ramelteon and triclosan.