Use of parthenolide to inhibit cancer

A method of increasing the susceptibility of mammalian cancer cells to a chemotherapeutic agent comprising contacting the cells with an effective sensitizing amount of parthenolide.

A therapeutical method of treating a non-tumorigenic angiogenesis-dependent condition characterized by the abnormal growth of blood vessels comprising administering to a mammal afflicted with said condition an effective anti-angiogenetic amount of parthenolide.

A method for determining whether or not to administer to a cancer patient an agent that inhibits NF-κB comprising:

• determining whether cancer cells from said patient comprise constitutively active NF-κB, and correlating the level of NF-κB with the ability of the agent ot inhibit NF-κB in reference cells of said cancer that also comprise active NF-κB.