Head and neck cancers (HNCs), particularly head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), are among the most aggressive and prevalent malignancies of the upper aerodigestive tract. As the incidence of HNCs continues to rise, this cancer type presents a significant public health challenge. Despite conventional treatment options, such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, the five-year survival rates remain relatively low due to resistance to these therapies, local recurrence, local lymph node metastasis, and in some advanced cases also distant metastasis. Consequently, patients with HNCs face a high mortality risk and have reduced quality of life due to the side effects of chemo- and radiotherapy. Furthermore, targeted therapies and immunotherapies have also shown limited effectiveness in many cases, with issues related to resistance and the accessibility of these treatments. Therefore, new strategies, such as those based on combination therapies and nanotechnology, are being explored to improve the treatment of HNC patients. The proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) also emerged as a promising therapeutic approach, though research is still ongoing to bring this technology into clinical practice. Here, we aim to highlight the current knowledge of HNC therapies, with a focus on recent advancements, including nanomedicine and PROTAC-based strategies. The development and advancement of novel emerging therapies hold promise for the improvement of patients’ survival and quality of life.

Glioblastoma (GBM) remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths with the lowest five-year survival rates among all of the human cancers. Multiple factors contribute to its poor outcome, including intratumor heterogeneity, along with migratory and invasive capacities of tumour cells. Over the last several years Doublecortin (DCX) has been one of the debatable factors influencing GBM cells’ migration. To resolve DCX’s ambiguous role in GBM cells’ migration, we set to analyse the expression patterns of DCX along with Nestin (NES) and Oligodendrocyte lineage transcription factor 2 (OLIG2) in 17 cases of GBM, using immunohistochemistry, followed by an analysis of single-cell RNA-seq data. Our results showed that only a small subset of DCX positive (DCX⁺) cells was present in the tumour. Moreover, no particular pattern emerged when analysing DCX⁺ cells relative position to the tumour margin. By looking into single-cell RNA-seq data, the majority of DCX⁺ cells were classified as non-cancerous, with a small subset of cells that could be regarded as glioma stem cells. In conclusion, our findings support the notion that glioma cells express DCX; however, there is no clear evidence to prove that DCX participates in GBM cell migration.

Background: Asymptomatic liver steatosis constitutes an emerging issue worldwide. Therefore, we decided to explore relationships between selected types of microRNAs (miRNAs), serological markers of liver fibrosis and hematological parameters in the course of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Methods: Two hundred and seven persons were included in the survey: 97 with NAFLD and 110 healthy controls. Serological concentrations of miR-126-3p, miR-197-3p, and miR-1-3p were measured in all participants. Direct indices of liver fibrosis [procollagen I carboxyterminal propeptide (PICP), procollagen III aminoterminal propeptide (PIIINP), platelet-derived growth factor AB (PDGF-AB), transforming growth factor-α (TGF-α) and laminin] together with indirect markers (AAR, APRI, FIB-4 and GPR) were also evaluated. The assessment of hematological parameters concerned: mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), plateletcrit (PCT), red blood cell distribution width (RDW), MPV to platelet (PLT) ratio (MPR), RDW to PLT ratio (RPR), neutrophil to lymphocyte (LYM) ratio (NLR), PLT to LYM ratio (PLR) and RDW to LYM ratio (RLR). Additionally, the NAFLD fibrosis score and BARD score were applied. Results: The concentration of miR-126-3p and miR-1-3p was higher, and miR-197-3p was lower in the NAFLD group (p < 0.0001). miR-197-3p correlated notably with hematological indices: negatively with PDW (p < 0.05) and positively with PLR (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Significant correlations between miRNA molecules and hematological markers in the course of NAFLD indicate inflammation as a potential background and create new possibilities for a diagnostic approach.