B7H3 is a ligand member of the immunoregulatory family of proteins on immune cells. In one embodiment, a method for diagnosing the progression of cancer with a high propensity of primary tumor metastasis to the lymph node or distant site is provided. Such a method may comprise obtaining a cancer tissue sample from a cancer patient, determining an expression level of B7-H3 present in the tissue sample, and diagnosing the progression of the cancer having a high propensity of primary tumor metastasis to the lymph node or distant site based upon the expression level, wherein an increased expression level correlates with an increased probability of having regional lymph nodes or organ site that are positive for metastases.