This study was aimed to investigate the prognostic value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients with prostate cancer (PCa). A meta-analysis including 14 publications (15 cohorts) with 16,266 patients was performed to evaluate the association between NLR and overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS)/recurrence-free survival (RFS) in PCa using hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). The combining data showed that increased NLR predict poor OS (HR = 1.38, 95%CI: 1.22–1.56) and PFS/RFS (HR = 1.24, 95%CI 1.05–1.46) in PCa. Stratified analysis by PCa type, sample size, ethnicity and NLR cut-off value revealed that NLR showed consistent prognostic value in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients and predict poor PFS/RFS in Asians, but not in Caucasians. These statistical data suggested that increased NLR could predict poor prognosis in patients with PCa.

This study was designed to explore the association between elevated platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and prognosis of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by meta-analysis. A total of 11 studies with 3,430 subjects were included and the combined hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated. The data showed that elevated PLR predicted poor overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.42; 95% CI: 1.25–1.61, p < 0.001; I² = 63.6, P_h = 0.002) and poor disease-free survival (DFS)/progression-free survival (PFS) (HR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.02–1.4, p = 0.027; I² = 46.8, P_h = 0.111). Subgroup analysis showed elevated PLR did not predict poor OS in patients included in large sample studies (HR = 1.44; 95% CI: 0.94–2.21, p = 0.098) whereas petients with Caucasian ethnicity (HR = 1.59; 95% CI: 1.27–1.98, p < 0.001) and PLR cut-off value >180 (HR = 1.61; 95% CI: 1.3–1.99, p < 0.001) had enhanced prognostic efficiency for OS. Subgroup analysis also demonstrated that high PLR did not predict poor DFS/PFS in Asian patients. In conclusion, our meta-analysis suggested that elevated PLR was associated with poor OS and DFS/PFS in NSCLC. In addition, high PLR especially predicted poor OS in Caucasians but had no association with poor DFS/PFS in Asians.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a widespread malignancy with global significance, which substantially affects cancer-related mortality. Its spectrum varies widely, from slow-progressing cases to aggressive or even lethal forms. Effective patient stratification into risk groups is crucial to therapeutic decisions and clinical trials. This review examines a wide range of diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, several of which are integrated into clinical guidelines, such as the PHI, the 4K score, PCA3, Decipher, and Prolaris. It also explores the emergence of novel biomarkers supported by robust preclinical evidence, including urinary miRNAs and isoprostanes. Genetic alterations frequently identified in PCa, including BRCA1/BRCA2, ETS gene fusions, and AR changes, are also discussed, offering insights into risk assessment and precision treatment strategies. By evaluating the latest developments and applications of PCa biomarkers, this review contributes to an enhanced understanding of their role in disease management.

Clinicopathological and prognostic significance of platelet to lymphocyte ratio in patients with gastric cancer

Our purpose was to compare toxicity and biochemical control in postprostatectomy patients treated with conventional (66 Gy) or dose-intensified (72 Gy) radiation therapy. Patients who had stage pT3-4, positive surgical margins, or rising prostate-specific antigen ≥ 0.2 ng/mL after radical prostatectomy were randomly assigned to receive either 66 Gy in 33 fractions or 72 Gy in 36 fractions. A primary endpoint was to assess the difference in biochemical progression-free survival (bPFS) between these 2 cohorts, and secondary endpoints were to assess differences in genitourinary (GU), gastrointestinal (GI), and hematologic toxicities between these 2 cohorts. bPFS was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and toxicities were compared using the χ2 test. Between September 2011 and November 2016, 144 patients were enrolled: 71 patients to the 66 Gy cohort and 73 patients to the 72 Gy cohort. The median follow-up time was 48.5 months (range, 14-79 months). There was no difference in 4-year bPFS between the 66 Gy and 72 Gy cohorts (75.9% vs 82.6%; P = .299). However, in patients with a higher Gleason score (8-10), the 72 Gy cohort had statistically significant improvement in bPFS compared with the 66 Gy cohort (79.7% vs 55.7%; P = .049). Toxicity analysis showed no difference in ≥2 acute or late GI or GU toxicities between these 2 cohorts. A total of 48 patients were scored as urinary incontinence before radiation therapy, of which 39 (81.3%) reported incontinence recovery or stable at 1-year follow-up, and only 9 (18.8%) patients reported worsening. There was no difference between the 2 cohorts in urinary incontinence either at baseline or at 1-year follow-up. Dose escalation (72 Gy) demonstrated no improvement in 4-year bPFS compared with the 66 Gy regimen. However, the dose escalation was not associated with greater acute or late GU or GI toxicities and did not increase urinary incontinence.

Compelling evidence indicates that radiotherapy (RT) has a systemic inhibitory effect on nonirradiated lesions (abscopal effect) in addition to the ablation of irradiated tumors. However, this effect occurs only in rare circumstances in clinical practice, and mechanisms underlying the abscopal effect of RT are neither fully understood nor therapeutically utilized. Here we identified that intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), an inducible glycoprotein of the immunoglobulin superfamily, is up-regulated in nonirradiated tumors responsive to RT. ICAM-1 expression in preclinical animal models can be noninvasively detected by optical imaging and positron emission tomography (PET) using near-infrared fluorescence dye- and ⁶⁴Cu-labeled imaging probes that we synthesized, respectively. Importantly, the expression levels of ICAM-1 determined by quantitative PET imaging showed a strong negative linear correlation with the growth of nonirradiated tumors. Moreover, genetic or pharmacologic up-regulation of ICAM-1 expression by either an intratumoral injection of engineered recombinant adenovirus or systemic administration of a Toll-like receptor 7 agonist-capsulated nanodrug could induce markedly increased abscopal responses to local RT in animal models. Mechanistic investigation revealed that ICAM-1 expression can enhance both the activation and tumor infiltration of CD8⁺ T cells to improve the responses of the nonirradiated tumors to RT. Together, our findings suggest that noninvasive PET imaging of ICAM-1 expression could be a powerful means to predict the responses of nonirradiated tumors to RT, which could facilitate the exploration of new combination RT strategies for effective ablation of primary and disseminated lesions. Significance Although RT serves as a frontline therapy for more than 50% of patients with malignancies, its efficacy is limited to localized tumors. Efforts in harnessing the abscopal effect of RT could systemically eliminate metastatic lesions disseminated beyond the radiation field; however, success has been limited thus far, owing to an inadequate understanding of the underlying mechanisms and an absence of reliable biomarkers for early prediction. Here we demonstrate that noninvasive PET imaging of ICAM-1 expression confers predictive value for abscopal effect efficacy at an early stage. This strategy may also facilitate potential high-throughput screening of current or novel drugs to be used in combination with RT to achieve desired antitumor therapeutic outcomes that eliminate both primary and metastatic lesions.