Methods of Screening for Risk of Cancer Using Human Lactoferrin DNA Probe or Primer

While normal breast ductal epithelium and neutrophilic granulocytes contain lactoferrin, their malignant counterparts frequently do not. The NIH announces primers or probes corresponding to the human lactoferrin gene, its promoter region, and its protein product, obtained from human breast tissue. The lactoferrin primer or probes can be used to screen for malignancy arising from tissues that normally secrete lactoferrin, or as a test to check the recovery of a patient from a malignancy.