Method of detection and diagnosis of oral and nasopharyngeal cancers

A method for aiding assessment of a patient's risk of developing oral and nasopharyngeal cancer, or likely severity or likelihood of progression of oral and nasopharyngeal cancer, or aiding in selection of a cancer treatment regime for the patient in treating oral and nasopharyngeal cancers, or aiding in assessment of a cancer treatment regime for treating oral and nasopharyngeal cancers, or the detection and diagnosis of oral and nasopharyngeal cancers, the method comprising:

• (a) determining in a biological sample from the patient the amount of the expression level of GNA-12;
• and
• (b) comparing the determined expression level of said gene in said biological sample with the level in a reference.

A method of detecting oral and nasopharyngeal cancers in a patient, the method comprising administering to the patient an anti-GNA-12 antibody or a fragment or derivative thereof labelled with a detectable label, allowing the labelled antibody to locate to the cancer, and imaging the cancer.

Use of a nucleic acid which selectively hybridises to GNA-12 mRNA in the manufacture of a reagent for diagnosing oral and nasopharyngeal cancers.

Use of a molecule which selectively binds to GNA-12 polypeptide or a natural fragment or variant thereof in the manufacture of a reagent for diagnosing or imaging oral and nasopharyngeal cancers.

A method of treating oral and nasopharyngeal cancers, the method comprising administering to the patient an effective amount of GNA-12 polypeptide or a variant or fusion or fragment thereof, or an effective amount of a nucleic acid encoding a GNA-12 polypeptide or a variant or fragment or fusion thereof, wherein the amount of said polypeptide or amount of said nucleic acid is effective to provoke an anti-cancer cell immune response in said patient.

Use of an effective amount of GNA-12 polypeptide or a variant or fusion or fragment thereof, or an effective amount of a nucleic acid encoding a GNA-12 polypeptide or a variant or fragment or fusion thereof, in the manufacture of a medicament for treating oral and nasopharyngeal cancers.

A oral and nasopharyngeal cancer vaccine comprising a GNA-12 polypeptide or variant or fragment thereof, or a nucleic acid encoding GNA-12 polypeptide or fragment or variant thereof.

A method of treating oral and nasopharyngeal cancers in a patient, the method comprising administering to the patient a molecule that modulates the activity of the GNA-12 gene or their products.

Use of a molecule that modulates the activity of the GNA-12 gene or their products in the manufacture of a medicament for treating oral and nasopharyngeal cancers.

A method of treating oral and nasopharyngeal cancers in a patient, the method comprising administering to the patient an antibody directed to GNAl2.

Use of an antibody directed to GNA-12 in the manufacture of a medicament for the treating oral and nasopharyngeal cancers.

A kit for aiding assessment of a patient's risk of developing oral and nasopharyngeal cancers, or likely severity or likelihood of progression of oral and nasopharyngeal cancers, or aiding in selection of a cancer treatment regime for the patient in treating oral and nasopharyngeal cancers, or aiding in assessment of a cancer treatment regime for treating oral and nasopharyngeal cancers, the kit comprising at least one reagent for determing the amount of the expression level of GNA-12, and a package insert containing instructions using the kit.