The prognostic impact of tumour-promoting immune cells in cervical cancer is unclear. Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IB and IIA cervical cancer patients (N=101) were assessed for tumour-associated CD66b(+) neutrophils and CD163(+) macrophages by immunohistochemistry in whole tissue sections using stereology. Results were correlated with previous results on tumour-infiltrating CD3(+), CD4(+), and CD8(+) lymphocytes in the same cohort with recurrence-free survival (RFS) as end point. The highest densities of CD66b(+) neutrophils and CD163(+) macrophages were observed in the peritumoural compartment (median 53.1 cells mm(-2) and 1.3% area fraction, respectively). Above median peritumoural and stromal CD66b(+) neutrophils and peritumoural CD163(+) macrophages were significantly associated with short RFS. Multivariate analysis identified high peritumoural neutrophils (HR 2.27; 95% CI 1.09-4.75; P=0.03), low peritumoural CD8(+) lymphocytes (HR 3.67; 95% CI 1.63-8.25; P=0.002), and lymph node metastases (HR 2.70; 95% CI 1.26-5.76; P=0.01) as independent prognostic factors for short RFS, whereas CD163(+) macrophages were not significant. An index of combined intratumoral and peritumoral CD66b(+) neutrophils to CD8(+) lymphocytes had good discriminatory power for each quartile with 5-year RFS of 92%, 80%, 62%, and 44% (P=0.001). Tumour-associated neutrophil count is an independent prognostic factor for short RFS in localised cervical cancer. Combining CD66b and CD8 may further improve prognostic stratification. These findings require prospective validation.

The diagnostic work-up and treatment of patients with neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) has undergone major recent advances and new methods are currently introduced into the clinic. An update of the WHO classification has resulted in a new nomenclature dividing NENs into neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) including G1 (Ki67 index ≤ 2%) and G2 (Ki67 index 3-20%) tumours and neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs) with Ki67 index > 20%, G3. Aim. These Nordic guidelines summarise the Nordic Neuroendocrine Tumour Group's current view on how to diagnose and treat NEN-patients and are meant to be useful in the daily practice for clinicians handling these patients.