Identification of tumor-associated markers for diagnosing or monitoring ovarian cancer

A method of diagnosing or monitoring ovarian cancer, wherein the method comprises the steps of:

• detecting or determining the quantity of a tumor-associated nucleic acid in a biological sample comprising ovarian tissue isolated from a human patient having or suspected of having ovarian cancer, and
• diagnosing or monitoring ovarian cancer based on the presence or quantity of the tumor-associated nucleic acid in the biological sample, wherein
• the tumor-associated nucleic acid is selected from the group consisting of (a) a nucleic acid that comprises a nucleic acid sequence consisting essentially of SEQ ID NO:
• 553, and (b) a nucleic acid that has at least 90% sequence identity with the nucleic acid of (a);
• the detecting or determining comprises (i) contacting the biological sample with an agent that binds specifically to the tumor-associated nucleic acid, and (ii) detecting the formation of or determining the quantity of a complex between the agent and the tumor-associated nucleic acid via real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR);
• the ovarian cancer is characterized by expression or abnormal expression of a tumor-associated antigen encoded by the tumor-associated nucleic acid;
• and
• the agent is an oligonucleotide or polynucleotide that hybridizes specifically to the tumor-associated nucleic acid or to the complementary nucleic acid sequence, and has a nucleic acid sequence comprising SEQ ID NO:
• 555 or 556.