Methods for predicting the efficacy of a chemotherapeutic regimen for gastrointestinal cancers using antibodies specific for thymidylate synthase
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services
InventorsPatrick G. Johnston, Carmen J. Allegra, Edwin R. Fisher
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Abstract
Methods for determining whether a chemotherapeutic treatment is appropriate for patients afflicted with gastrointestinal cancers, comprising; (a) obtaining a solid tumor tissue sample from the patient; (b) measuring a thymidylate synthase expression level in the tissue sample; and (c) comparing the thymidylate synthase expression level with a group of standard tumor tissue samples, the standards having known thymidylate synthase expression levels and known responses to the chemotherapeutic treatment, to determine if that chemotherapeutic treatment is appropriate for the patient.
Claims11
A method for predicting the efficacy of chemotherapeutic treatment comprising drugs that target thymidylate synthase for patients afflicted with gastrointestinal cancer, said method comprising;
- (a) obtaining a solid tumor tissue sample from said patient, wherein the sample is obtained prior to chemotherapeutic treatment;
- (b) measuring a thymidylate synthase protein level in said tissue sample;
- and
- (c) comparing said thymidylate synthase protein level with a group of standard tumor tissue samples obtained prior to chemotherapeutic treatment, said standards having known thymidylate synthase protein levels and known responses to said chemotherapeutic treatment, to predict the efficacy of chemotherapeutic treatment comprising drugs that target thymidylate synthase for said patient.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.