Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for discriminating between early and advanced stage lung carcinoma in an individual suffering from lung carcinoma comprising the steps of a) providing a sample of an individual suffering from lung carcinoma, b) determining the level of heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) in said sample, c) comparing the determined level of HSP27 in said sample with a reference range of HSP27 measured in samples of control individuals with an early stage lung carcinoma and/or with advanced stage lung carcinoma, d) diagnosing early stage lung carcinoma in said individual when the level of HSP27 in sample a) is below the reference range of HSP27 in samples of control individuals with advanced stage lung carcinoma or within the reference range of control individuals with early stage lung carcinoma and diagnosing advanced stage lung carcinoma when the level of HSP27 in sample a) is above the reference range of HSP27 in samples of control individuals with early stage lung carcinoma or within the

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for diagnosing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in a human subject or the risk of a human subject to develop COPD comprising the steps of: —providing a sample from a human subject, —determining the amount of caspase-cleaved cytokeratin-18 (ccCK-18), histones, heat shock protein 27 (HSP27), heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and/or heat shock protein 90 alpha (HSP90 alpha) in said sample, —diagnosing COPD when the amount of ccCK-18, histones, HSP27, HSP70 and/or HSP90 alpha is increased compared to the amount of ccCK-18, histones, HSP27, HSP70 and/or HSP90 alpha in healthy human subjects, or—diagnosing the risk to develop COPD when the amount of ccCK-18, histones and/or HSP70 is reduced compared to the amount of ccCK-18, histones and/or HSP70 in healthy human subjects.

Abstract: Method for diagnosing the risk of a human subject to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) comprising the steps of:—providing a sample from a human subject,—determining the amount of CD4+CD28null T-cells in said sample,—diagnosing the risk to develop COPD when the amount of CD4+CD28null T-cells is reduced compared to the amount of CD4+CD28null T-cells in healthy human subjects.