Background: Phase angle could be an alternative to subjective global assessment for the assessment of nutrition status in patients with head-and-neck cancer. Methods: We prospectively evaluated a cohort of 75 stage IIIB and IV head-and-neck patients treated at the Otolaryngology Department, Head and Neck Surgery, Medical University of Lublin, Poland. Bioelectrical impedance analysis was performed in all patients using an analyzer that operated at 50 kHz. The phase angle was calculated as reactance divided by resistance (Xc/R) and expressed in degrees. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to calculate survival. Results: Median overall survival in the cohort was 32.0 months. At the time of analysis, 47 deaths had been recorded in the cohort (62.7%). The risk of shortened overall survival was significantly higher in patients whose phase angle was less than 4.733 degrees than in the remaining patients (19.6 months vs. 45 months, p = 0.0489; chi-square: 3.88; hazard ratio: 1.8856; 95% confidence interval: 1.0031 to 3.5446). Conclusions: Phase angle might be prognostic of survival in patients with advanced head-and-neck cancer. Further investigation in a larger population is required to confirm our results.

Angiogenesis has been shown to substantially contribute to the progression of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Neuropilin‐1 (NRP1) represents a receptor for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which has been reported to be overexpressed in several malignancies. In our study, we characterized mRNA levels of VEGF receptors including NRP1 in a large cohort of CLL patients (n = 114), additionally we performed a detailed characterization of NRP1 expression on B cells, plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDCs) and regulatory T cells (Tregs). The expression of NRP1 was significantly higher on leukemic lymphocytes compared to control B lymphocytes on mRNA and protein levels (22.72% vs. 0.2%, p = 0.0003, respectively), Tregs (42.6% vs. 16.05%, p = 0.0003) and PDCs (100% vs. 98% p < 0.0001). In functional studies, we found higher NRP1 expression on CLL cells after stimulation with VEGF. The correlation between expression of VEGF receptors: FLT1, NRP1 and FOXP3 expression (r² = 0.53, p < 0.0001 and r² = 0.49, p < 0.0001, respectively) was observed. Earlier we described the specific Treg reduction during the therapy with thalidomide in vivo. Now we observe the reduction of the NRP1 expression on Tregs in vitro, thereby suggesting a possible target of thalidomide action. In conclusion, NRP1 might represent an interesting link between angiogenesis and tolerance mechanisms and represents interesting target for therapy.

In response to various stimuli, neutrophils and eosinophils can release neutrophil extracellular traps (NET) consisting of proteolytic enzymes, DNA and other components of the cell nucleus. The NETosis process has been characterized as a mechanism of programmed cell death, which leads to chromatin decondensation and disintegration of organelles, followed by lysis of the cell membrane. In recent years the significant role of neutrophils in the pathogenesis of cancer has been highlighted. The presence of two subpopulations of TAN with different phenotypes and functions - acting antitumor "N1" and the pro-cancerous "N2" - has been discovered. By the release of cytokines and chemokines neutrophils may affect angiogenesis and contribute to escape of tumor cells from immune surveillance. Interactions between cells and the microenvironment are of vital importance both for the preservation of homeostasis in normal tissue and tumor growth. They affect the initiation of disease progression and prognosis. The impact of NETosis on the process of metastasis is evaluated in the context of the functions of the individual components of the NET (MMP-9, CG, NE). Furthermore, presumably the pro- or anti-tumor effect of NETosis depends on many factors including the status of the immune system or tumor microenvironment. Probably the cancer cells can be captured by the NET microenvironment in the same manner as microorganisms. However, the high concentration of proteins released during NETosis can induce their proliferation and inhibit apoptosis, thus promoting tumor growth. A better understanding of NETosis function in tumor progression may lead to the emergence of new prognostic factors and targets for therapy in many types of cancer.

Objective: To assess the rate of textbook outcome (TO) and textbook oncological outcome (TOO) in the European population based on the GASTRODATA registry. Background: TO is a composite parameter assessing surgical quality and strongly correlates with improved overall survival. Following the standard of treatment for locally advanced gastric cancer, TOO was proposed as a quality and optimal multimodal treatment parameter. Methods: TO was achieved when all the following criteria were met: no intraoperative complications, radical resection according to the surgeon, pR0 resection, retrieval of at least 15 lymph nodes, no severe postoperative complications, no reintervention, no admission to the intensive care unit, no prolonged length of stay, no postoperative mortality and no hospital readmission. TOO was defined as TO with the addition of perioperative chemotherapy compliance. Results: Of the 2558 patients, 1700 were included in the analysis. TO was achieved in 1164 (68.5%) patients. The use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy [odds ratio (OR) = 1.33, 95% CI: 1.04–1.70] and D2 or D2+ lymphadenectomy (OR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.15–2.10) had a positive impact on TO achievement. Older age (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.54–0.94), pT3/4 (OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.63–0.99), ASA 3/4 (OR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.54–0.86) and total gastrectomy (OR = 0.56, 95% CI: 0.45–0.70), had a negative impact on TO achievement. TOO was achieved in 388 (22.8%) patients. Older age (OR = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.27–0.53), pT3 or pT4 (OR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.39–0.69), and ASA 3 or 4 (OR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.43–0.79) had a negative impact on TOO achievement. Conclusions: Despite successively improved surgical outcomes, stage‐appropriate chemotherapy in adherence to the current guidelines for multimodal treatment of gastric cancer remains poor. Further implementation of oncologic quality metrics should include greater emphasis on perioperative chemotherapy and adequate lymphadenectomy.

Since increasing evidence underlines the prominent role of systemic inflammation in carcinogenesis, the inflammation burden index (IBI) has emerged as a promising biomarker to estimate survival outcomes among cancer patients. The IBI has only been validated in Eastern gastric cancer (GC) patients; therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the IBI as a prognostic biomarker in Central European GC patients undergoing multimodal treatment. Ninety-three patients with histologically confirmed GC who underwent multimodal treatment between 2013 and 2021 were included. Patient recruitment started with the standardization of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Blood samples were obtained one day prior to surgical treatment. The textbook outcome (TO) served as the measure of surgical quality, and tumor responses to NAC were evaluated according to Becker’s system tumor regression grade (TRG). A high IBI was associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications (OR 2.95, 95% CI 1.13–7.72). In multivariate analysis, a high IBI (HR = 2.56, 95% CI 1.28–5.13) and a high neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR, HR = 2.55, 95% CI 1.32–4.94) were associated with an increased risk of death, while NAC administration (HR = 0.40, 95% CI 0.18–0.90) and TO achievement (HR = 0.42, 95% CI 0.22–0.81) were associated with a lower risk of death. The IBI was associated with postoperative complications and mortality among GC patients undergoing multimodal treatment.