DAVID L RIMM, MD
Medical Practice in New Haven, CT

2011029, Dec 1, 2011

Nov 10, 2009

13/128673

Randall T. Moon - Kenmore WA, US
Andy J. Chien - Bellevue WA, US
David L. Rimm - New Haven CT, US

YALE UNIVERSITY - New Haven CT
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON - Seattle WA

A61K 31/428, G01N 33/566, C40B 30/00, A61K 38/22, A61K 31/404, A61K 33/00, A61K 38/28, A61K 38/30, C12Q 1/68, A61K 31/495

424722, 435 612, 436501, 506 7, 435 71, 435 792, 514367, 51425504, 514414, 514 59, 514 86, 514 96

The present invention is directed to a method of determining the prospects for survival of a melanoma patient. This method involves providing a biological sample from a patient diagnosed with melanoma, determining the level of an indicator of Wnt/β-catenin activation in the sample, comparing the level of the indicator of Wnt/β-catenin activation in the sample against a standard level of the indicator of Wnt/β-catenin activation correlated to survival of melanoma, and determining a patient's prospects for survival of melanoma based on the comparison. The present invention also relates to a method of improving survival of melanoma patients, decreasing metastases in melanoma patients, decreasing proliferation of cancer cells in melanoma patients, decreasing melanoma recurrence in melanoma patients, and/or decreasing tumor size in melanoma patients. This involves selecting melanoma patients and subsequently determining and monitoring therapy based on their level of Wnt/β-catenin activation. The selected melanoma patients are treated with a dose of an activator or synergizer of Wnt/β-catenin based on the patient's level of Wnt/β-catenin, under conditions effective, respectively, to improve survival of the selected melanoma patients, to decrease metas-tases in the selected melanoma patients, to decrease proliferation of cancer cells in the selected melanoma patients, to decrease melanoma recurrence in the selected melanoma patients, and/or to decrease tumor size in the selected melanoma patients.