The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak forced cancer care providers to face different challenges in terms of prevention and treatment management due to specific precautions implemented for oncological patients. We aimed to describe the level of knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) among cancer patients, with the purpose to provide an image of the impact of COVID-19 and evaluate the effectiveness of pandemic response measures. We developed a cross-sectional multicentric study that targeted adults with active cancer during the COVID-19 outbreak, aiming to describe KAP related to COVID-19 among Romanian oncological patients. A questionnaire investigating 64 items on KAP related to the novel coronavirus was designed and applied in seven Romanian hospitals. The group of participants consisted of 1585 oncological patients who completed the questionnaire during the outbreak (April-May 2020). Only 172 patients (10.8%) had very good knowledge about severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection symptoms, treatment options and incubation period. Only 44.3% of patients identified diarrhoea as a sign of COVID-19. About one-third of patients (32.6%) declared that they are 'very worried' about getting infected with the novel coronavirus. More than two-thirds of participants (68%) considered that having cancer represents an additional risk for infection with SARS-CoV-2, but 27.8% would rather not vaccinate against SARS-CoV-2 should a vaccine be available. A small percentage (8.8%) believed that the risk of infection justifies delaying/stopping oncological treatment until after the pandemic. Around half of the participants (55.5%) declared being compliant with all the protective measures against coronavirus infection listed in the questionnaire. Romanian oncological patients have a less than expected knowledge about SARS-CoV-2, appropriate prevention behaviours, with limited trust in their efficacy, optimistic attitudes towards COVID-19 and low level of trust in information sources. Good COVID-19 knowledge was associated with appropriate practices towards COVID-19 and optimistic attitudes.

Literature suggests that high body mass index can be correlated with better response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. On the other hand, sarcopenia seems to be a negative predictive marker. The present analysis is a retrospective, multicenter trial that included patients with metastatic melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and renal cell carcinoma treated with nivolumab between 2018 and 2020. Patients were stratified by creatinine levels both at treatment initiation and at first follow-up (at three months) and by BMI for the same intervals, as recorded in the patients’ charts. Creatinine was considered a surrogate marker for sarcopenia. IBM SPSS version 20 was used for statistical analysis. A total of 57 (n = 57) patients were included in the trial. Overall response rate (ORR) for the entire population was 38.59% (p = 0.02). Patients with BMI lower than 25 had an ORR of 28.5% (p = 0.003), whereas patients with BMI higher than 25 had an ORR of 42.3% (p = 0.002). Patients who gained weight during treatment had a lower probability of having progressive disease (OR = 0.4 [95% CI; 0.4–1.2]), as did patients with creatinine higher than 0.9 (OR = 0.39 [95% CI: 0.13–1.14]). No superiority was found in progression-free survival (PFS) when patients were dichotomized for BMI = 25 or BMI = 18.5. Mean PFS in the BMI under 18.5 group was 10.2 months [95% CI: 5.8–23.1], versus 11.2 for BMI over 18.5 [95% CI: 5.3–25.3], p < 0.03. Mean PFS for the BMI under 25 was 11.2 months [95% CI: 7.2–20.1], vs. 13.3 months [95% CI: 6.4–22] for the BMI over 25, p < 0.001. There were also differences in PFS in the patients with baseline creatinine over 0.9 when compared with under 0.9 values. Mean PFS in the first group was 19.78 months [95% CI: 16.23–22.9] vs. 16.1 [95% CI: 12.2–20.3], p < 0.001. Patients treated with nivolumab who have weight gain during treatment have a better PFS than the ones who do not. Creatinine levels of over 0.9 at treatment initiation also have positive predictive value.

DLBCL is a testament to the complexity of nature. It is characterized by remarkable diversity in its molecular and pathological subtypes and clinical manifestations. Despite the strides made in DLBCL treatment and the introduction of innovative drugs, around one-third of patients face a relapse or develop refractory disease. Recent findings over the past ten years have highlighted the critical interplay between the evolution of DLBCL and various epigenetic mechanisms, including chromatin remodeling, DNA methylation, histone modifications, and the regulatory roles of non-coding RNAs. These epigenetic alterations are integral to the pathways of oncogenesis, tumor progression, and the development of therapeutic resistance. In the past decade, the identification of dysregulated epigenetic mechanisms in lymphomas has paved the way for an exciting field of epigenetic therapies. Crucially, these epigenetic transformations span beyond tumor cells to include the sophisticated network within the tumor microenvironment (TME). While the exploration of epigenetic dysregulation in lymphoma cells is thriving, the mechanisms affecting the functions of immune cells in the TME invite further investigation. This review is dedicated to weaving together the narrative of epigenetic alterations impacting both lymphoma cells with a focus on their infiltrating immune companions.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent primary malignancy of the liver and it is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The global burden of hepatocellular carcinoma is growing nowadays. Most cases of hepatocellular carcinoma develop in the background of chronic hepatitis C and B and liver cirrhosis‑well-known risk factor. But despite the reducing incidence of chronic hepatitis infections, an increase in the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma was observed in the last decades. This could be explained by the increasing prevalence of obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which are becoming important risk factors in hepatocellular carcinoma. Regular surveillance, as performed for patients with viral hepatitis, is required for patients with metabolic risk factors.

NSCLC accounts around 80% of all lung cancers. NSCLC patients have usually a lousy quality of life (QoL), influenced by the malignant disease itself and by cancer treatment modalities. We conducted an observational study in Oncology Department, Clinical Emergency Hospital, Constanta, on a sample of 50 patients diagnosed with NSCLC one year. Our study data showed that younger patients have a better QoL regarding social/family well-being, but without other significant differences. Also, patients living in the urban area have a better QoL regarding social/family well-being. Patients having better performance status obtain higher scores from all subscales of the FACT- G questionnaire and, also a higher FACT-G total scale, these results are showing that better the performance status and general status of the patient, better the QoL. We detected a significant relationship between QoL and disease stage or presence of metastasis. We found no clinical significance between QoL scores with respect with chemotherapy protocol or the number of cycles of chemotherapy. We aimed to show that factors influencing the QoL of NSCLC patients are stage of the disease and performance status of the patients. To diminish the negative impact, one important step in ameliorating the QoL of NSCLC patients is to detect all factors influencing it and offer psychological spiritual and social support.