Methods of diagnosing proliferative disorders

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods of diagnosing and/or prognosing proliferative disorders, especially brain cancers (e.g. gliomas). In particular, the present invention provides a means to conveniently detect malignant tumours merely by assaying or analysing blood (particularly blood serum). Cytokines and/or angiogenesis factors in blood serum have been found to be surprisingly powerful at indicating the presence of brain cancers in a subject. Moreover, spectroscopic analysis, especially ATR-FTIR analysis, of a blood sample has been demonstrated to be surprisingly effective at producing a signature that can be correlated with the presence, extent, severity, or aggressiveness of malignant tumours in a subject.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of diagnosing and/or prognosing a proliferative disorder in a subject, the method comprising performing spectroscopic analysis upon a blood sample (or component thereof) of the subject to produce a spectroscopic signature characteristic of the blood sample (or component thereof); wherein the spectroscopic analysis is Attenuated Total Reflection FTIR (ATR-FTIR) in which “ATR crystals” support the blood sample during IR analysis. 
     
     
         2 .- 31 . (canceled)