Biobanks play an increasing role in contemporary research projects. These units meet all requirements to regard them as a one of the most innovative and up-to-date in the field of biomedical research. They enable conducting wide-scale research by the professional collection of biological specimens and correlated clinical data. Pathology units may be perceived roots of biobanking. The review aims at describing the concept of biobanks, their model of function and scientific potential. It comprises the division of biobanks, sample preservation methods and IT solutions as well as guidelines and recommendations for management of a vast number of biological samples and clinical data. Therefore, appropriate standard operating procedures and protocols are outlined. Constant individualization of diagnostic process and treatment procedures creates the niche for translational units. Thus, the role of biobanks in personalized medicine was also specified. The exceptionality of biobanks poses some new ethical-legal issues which have various solutions, in each legal system, amongst the world. Finally, distribution and activity of European biobanks are mentioned.

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Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common types of cancer diagnosed worldwide. After a decade of stagnation, several novel compounds have recently been shown to be effective in the treatment of HCC. Since immunotherapy is associated with important clinical benefits in some, but not all patients, it is essential to identify reliable predictive biomarkers. As the complex interplay between hepatocytes and immune cells is highly dependent on the tumor microenvironment, the tumor microenviroment has been suggested to be an important factor associated with the response to therapy and is currently being extensively investigated. Within this network, several important factors should be highlighted. Most of the cells are hepatocytes, but fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and immune cells are also present. Tumor-infiltrating leukocytes include several populations of cells and each of them plays a role in forming the tumor environment. Some of these cells may have antitumor effects, whereas others may be associated with the progression of the disease. The most important subsets include tumor-associated macrophages, tumor-associated neutrophils, and lymphocytes. These groups are described in the present review. The immune response is controlled by immune checkpoint molecules. One of the most important molecules involved in this checkpoint process seems to be the programmed death-1 (PD-1) receptor, which typically is induced on activated T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, B cells, and antigen-presenting cells. On the other hand, programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) is expressed by tumor cells, hepatocytes and hepatic stellate cells, and Kupffer cells or liver sinusoidal cells. Complex interactions between ligands and receptors are dependent on the signals from the microenvironment leading to either cancer development or apoptosis. Evidence from several studies indicates that patients with higher expression levels of PD-L1 on tumor cells or immune cells are more likely to achieve beneficial results from treatment with checkpoint blockers. This review focuses on the basic information regarding the microenvironment and its components, particularly on immune system involvement. Contents 1. Introduction 2. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) 3. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) 4. Tumor-infiltrating leukocytes (TILs) 5. Tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) 6. Tumor microenvironment and response to systemic treatment 7. Immune checkpoint inhibition 8. Immune checkpoint inhibitors assessed for treatment of HCC 9. Immune microenvironment factors associated with the response to immunotherapy 10. Additional potential biomarkers and predictive factors for the response to immunotherapy 11. Conclusions

The paper presents a case of a 54-year-old man with pancreatic tumor and intraperitoneal dissemination. The patient received treatment with gemcitabine in combination with nab-paclitaxel. After 18 months, the disease progressed, therefore the line of treatment was applied in the form of liposomal irinotecan with 5-FU/LV. This therapy provided progression-free survival for 7 months. The obtained results are better than the median progression-free survival obtained in the studies. This case demonstrates that liposomal irinotecan in the treatment of stage IV disease in patients progressing after gemcitabine opens up new treatment options.

Lymphocyte ratio (NLR) prior to TARE showed an inverse relationship with the overall survival time, with a tendency to significance (p¼0.094). Conclusion:In our study, biomarkers with the ability to predict the prognosis and therapeutic response to TARE, in hepatocellular carcinoma, included morphological factors, biochemical parameters and factors related to tumor dosimetry.Legal entity responsible for the study: The authors.