an in vitro method for assessing the risk that a subject suffers from a cancer , comprising measuring the expression level of proline / arginine - rich end leucine repeat protein in cells from said subject , wherein an increased expression level of prelp , as compared to healthy donors , indicates an increased probability of said subject suffering from cancer . the disclosure further relates to antibodies specific for prelp and their use in diagnosis and therapy as well as a method for indicating a cell as a cancer cell .