The present invention provides for a method for inhibiting tumor invasion
or metastasis in a subject which comprises administering to the subject a
therapeutically effective amount of a form of soluble Receptor for
Advanced Glycation Endproducts (RAGE). The present invention also
provides a method for evaluating the ability of an agent to inhibit tumor
invasion in a local cellular environment which comprises: (a) admixing
with cell culture media an effective amount of the agent; (b) contacting
a tumor cell in cell culture with the media from step (a); (c)
determining the amount of spreading of the tumor cell culture, and (d)
comparing the amount of spreading of the tumor cell culture determined in
step (c) with the amount determined in the absence of the agent, thus
evaluating the ability of the agent to inhibit tumor invasion in the
local cellular environment. The present invention also provides a
pharmaceutical composition which comprises a therapeutically effective
amount of the agent evaluated in the aforementioned method and a
pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.