Novel Serum Markers for Monitoring Response to Anti-Cancer Therapy

Development of Novel Serum Markers for Monitoring Response to Anti-Cancer Therapy

The purpose of this study is to measure the levels of serum proteins and other biomarkers in cancer patients and in patients suspected of having cancer. We believe that some of these markers may be useful for confirming the diagnosis or for selecting patients for specific types of cancer therapies. These markers may also help to predict response to therapy, relapse after therapy, and survival after therapy.

This is a blood serum collection study at Stanford University for patients with cancer at a variety of disease sites. The purpose of this study is to collect and store blood serum from patients before, during, and after anti-cancer therapy to find new biomarkers that signal disease or response to anti-cancer therapy. The collection and analysis of these biomarkers may lead to improved diagnostic and treatment therapies for certain cancers in the future. We are also interested in collecting blood serum from healthy individuals such as the spouses, relatives, and friends of cancer patients to obtain healthy controls for comparison

1. Age > or = 18; for the samples collected under the NIH grant, no subjects below the age of 20 will be enrolled.
2. Prior diagnosis of cancer or suspected of having cancer
3. Karnofsky performance status of greater than 70
4. Standard pretreatment evaluation
5. Signed Stanford University Human Subjects Committee consent