| CPC G01N 33/57438 (2013.01) [G01N 2333/96433 (2013.01)] | 20 Claims |
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1. A method for determining whether to continue or discontinue a first-line cancer therapy in a pancreatic cancer patient in need thereof, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) obtaining a blood sample from the patient prior to or at commencement of a first-line cancer therapy;
(b) isolating extracellular vesicles from the blood sample and determining, from the isolated extracellular vesicles, a baseline extracellular vesicle-derived mannan-binding protein-associated serine protease-2 (EV-MASP-2) level for the patient,
(c) administering the first-line cancer therapy to the patient according to a treatment regimen over a treatment time period,
(d) obtaining a blood sample from the patient during the treatment time period;
(e) isolating extracellular vesicles from the blood sample obtained during the treatment time period and determining, from the isolated extracellular vesicles, a treatment EV-MASP-2 level;
(f) determining whether the treatment EV-MASP-2 level has decreased relative to the baseline EV-MASP-2 level; and
(g-i) continuing administering the first-line cancer therapy according to the treatment regimen if the treatment EV-MASP-2 level has decreased relative to the baseline EV-MASP-2 level, or
(g-ii) discontinuing administering the first-line cancer therapy according to the treatment regimen if the treatment EV-MASP-2 level has not decreased relative to the baseline EV-MASP-2 level.
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