Combination therapies integrating immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) with vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (VEGFR-TKIs), or dual ICI regimens, currently represent the standard of care for advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). However, in most favorable-risk patients according to the IMDC classification-particularly those with a low disease burden and without disease-related symptoms-first-line monotherapy with VEGFR-TKIs remains a valid option. This review summarizes the preclinical and clinical evidence supporting this approach, with the aim of guiding oncologists in personalizing therapy while minimizing overtreatment and toxicity.

The aggressive nature of gastric cancer often leads to late diagnosis and poor prognosis. Chemotherapy and the more recently added immunotherapy remain key treatments for this disease. Several studies have focused on identifying tissue biomarkers with prognostic and/or predictive roles and therefore the therapeutic options are rapidly growing. In this narrative review, we summarize the major tissue biomarkers routinely assessed in clinical practice. In addition, we focus on new evidence about emerging tissue biomarkers that could have a predictive role in future therapeutic approaches and also on the potential role of liquid biopsy in this neoplasm.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma remains associated with a poor prognosis, even when diagnosed at an early stage. Consequently, it is imperative to carefully consider the available therapeutic options and tailor them based on clinically relevant biomarkers. In our comprehensive review, we specifically concentrated on the identification of novel predictive and prognostic markers that have the potential to be integrated into multiparametric scoring systems. These scoring systems aim to accurately predict the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in surgically resectable pancreatic cancer cases. By identifying robust predictive markers, we can enhance our ability to select patients who are most likely to benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Furthermore, the identification of prognostic markers can provide valuable insights into the overall disease trajectory and inform treatment decisions. The development of multiparametric scoring systems that incorporate these markers holds great promise for optimizing the selection of patients for neoadjuvant chemotherapy, leading to improved outcomes in resectable pancreatic neoplasia. Continued research efforts are needed to validate and refine these markers and scoring systems, ultimately advancing the field of personalized medicine in pancreatic adenocarcinoma management.

Nerve growth factor (NGF) signaling is involved in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) neurotropism, perineural invasion, pain, and tumor-stromal crosstalk, but its value as a circulating biomarker remains poorly defined. We retrospectively analyzed 51 patients with PDAC who underwent serial liquid-biopsy assessment across perioperative and advanced-disease timepoints. Circulating β-NGF was assessed in plasma, and samples without measurable NGF were classified as non-detectable. NGF was analyzed as both a zero-inflated continuous variable and a binary detectable/non-detectable biomarker. Phase-aligned associations with recurrence, disease-free survival, first-line progression-free survival, CA19-9, CEA, TGFβ, PD-L1, pain, and pathological perineural invasion were evaluated using non-parametric and permutation-based methods with false-discovery-rate adjustment. NGF availability was highest at first-line treatment initiation, where 9 of 40 patients had detectable NGF (22.5%). The clearest signal emerged postoperatively: patients who subsequently recurred had higher NGF values than those who did not (median 25.5 pg/mL vs. non-detectable; nominal p = 0.038). Detectable postoperative NGF was directionally associated with recurrence, while detectable NGF at first-line treatment initiation was associated with numerically shorter progression-free survival. Pooled active-disease measurements did not show a clear NGF increase versus postoperative samples, arguing against a generic disease-burden signal. No association remained significant after false-discovery-rate correction; therefore, all observed signals should be interpreted as exploratory and hypothesis-generating. These findings support prospective validation of circulating NGF within multimarker liquid-biopsy strategies focused on postoperative recurrence, perineural invasion-related biology, and treatment resistance in PDAC.