Method of determining a chemotherapeutic regimen for non-small-cell lung cancer based on brca1 expression

Abstract

The present invention relates to a screening method for classifying patients and for selecting an effective chemotherapy for the treatment of a patient suffering from non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), based on the use of his levels of BRCA1 expression to predict the outcome of chemotherapy.

1 . A method for treating a patient with non-small-cell lung cancer having low expression levels of the BRCA1 gene comprising, administering to the patient cisplatin. 
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein cisplatin is in a combination of gemcitabine/cisplatin. 
     
     
         3 . A method for treating a patient with non-small-cell lung cancer having low expression levels of the BRCA1 gene comprising, administering to the patient docetaxel and/or paclitaxel. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 3 , wherein the docetaxel is in a combination of gemcitabine/docetaxel and/or the paclitaxel is in a combination of gemcitabine/paclitaxel. 
     
     
         5 . A method for classifying patients suffering from non-small-cell lung cancer comprising:
 a) isolating mRNA from a cancerous tumor tissue sample of the patient;   b) determining the gene expression level of BRCA1 in the patient's sample; and   c) classifying the patient as either “low,” “normal,” or “high” by comparing the BRCA1 gene expression levels in the patient's sample with ranges of BRCA1 expression levels previously determined by measuring the BRCA1 expression levels of each within a collection of non-small-cell lung cancer tumor tissue biopsy samples previous to neoadjuvant chemotherapeutic treatment, and dividing the BRCA1 expression levels of all of the non-small-cell lung cancer tumor tissue biopsy samples into quartiles, wherein the patient is classified as “low” if the BRCA1 expression level in the patient's sample is within the range of BRCA1 expression levels of the bottom quartile, “high” if the BRCA1 expression level is within the range of BRCA1 expression levels of the top quartile, and “normal” is the BRCA1 expression level is within the range of BRCA1 expression levels of the middle two quartiles.   
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the patient classified as “high” has an increased risk of death compared with the patients classified as “normal” or “low”. 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 5 , wherein the patient is suffering non-small-cell lung cancer prior to surgery.