The present invention provides
diagnostic methods for predicting the effectiveness of treatment of an
ovarian cancer patient with an IGF-1R
kinase inhibitor. Methods are provided for predicting the sensitivity of tumor
cell growth to inhibition by an IGF-1R
kinase inhibitor, comprising assessing whether the
tumor cells possess
mutant K-RAS. The present invention thus provides a method of identifying patients with
ovarian cancer who are most likely to benefit from treatment with an IGF-1R
kinase inhibitor. Improved methods for treating
cancer patients with IGF-1R kinase inhibitors that incorporate this methodology are also provided. The present invention also provides
diagnostic methods for predicting the effectiveness of treatment of
cancer patients with IGF-1R kinase inhibitors, based on a determination of the
mutation status of the genes K-RAS, B-RAF,
PTEN and PIK3CA, which can be used to identify tumor
cell types that will be sensitive to IGF-1R kinase inhibitors, and also those that will be insensitive.