(1) Background: Cancer antigen 125 (CA125) is a glycoprotein that is expressed by tissue derived from coelomic epithelium in the pleura, peritoneum, pericardium. It has been shown that CA125 concentrations are correlated with NT-proBNP in older people with congestive heart failure (HF). We conducted a study on the association between concentrations of CA125 and NT-proBNP in a population-based cohort of older Polish women. (2) Methods: The current research is sub-study of a large, cross-sectional research project (PolSenior). The study group consisted of 1565 Caucasian women aged 65–102 years. To assess the relationship between CA125 and other variables a stepwise backward multivariate normal and skew-t regression analyses were performed. (3) Results: The median of CA125 concentration was 13.0 U/mL and values over the upper normal range limit (35 U/mL) were observed in 5.1% (n = 79) of the study cohort. The concentration of CA125 was positively related to age, hospitalization for HF and history of atrial fibrillation and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, levels of NT-proBNP, IL-6, hs-CRP and triglycerides. We found in the multivariate analyses, that increased CA125 levels were independently associated with log10 (IL-6) (β = 11.022), history of hospitalization for HF (β = 4.619), log10 (NT-proBNP) (β = 4.416) and age (β = 3.93 for 10 years). (4) Conclusions: Despite the association between CA125 and NT-proBNP, the usefulness of CA125 for the detection of HF in older women is limited by factors such as inflammatory status and age.

Treatment of chronic pain in oncology: cooperation between the oncologist and psychooncologist ABSTRACT The aim of this work is to present the problem of chronic pain in neoplastic disease as a situation requiring dia gnosis and interdisciplinary treatment. The phenomenon of chronic pain, its types, and causes are discussed.A discussion was held on appropriate scales for measuring pain intensity. Pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy were primarily presented among the discussed treatment methods, and issues related to other methods of inter actions related to the treatment of patients with chronic pain in the course of neoplastic disease were discussed.The key aspect of the article is to draw attention to the implementation of multispecialist treatment of chronic pain, including personalised solutions and the accommodation of the most favourable form of therapy and the methods of its implementation.

Background and Objectives: Soluble cell adhesion molecules (sCAMs) play a significant role in the metastatic potential of breast cancer (BC). They might block lymphocytes and promote angiogenesis and migration of cancer cells. We assessed the usefulness of sCAMs in the prognosis and monitoring of the progression of advanced BC. Materials and Methods: We assessed soluble E-selectin, P-selectin, VCAM-1, ICAM-1, EpCAM, IL-6Ra, TNF-R1, and TNF-R2 in 39 women with aBC. Blood samples were obtained at the beginning of the treatment and after 2 months. Results: The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 9 months, and overall survival (OS) was 27 months. The higher levels of sICAM-1 (HR = 2.60, p = 0.06) and lower levels of sEpCAM (HR = 2.72, p < 0.05) were associated with faster progression of aBC. High levels of sEpCAM through the follow-up period were significantly associated with a lower risk of progression (HR = 0.40, p < 0.01). We found the independent predictive value of higher than median sICAM-1 levels for PFS (HR = 2.07, p = 0.08) and of sVCAM-1 levels for OS (HR = 2.59, p < 0.05). Conclusions: Our data support the predictive value of sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1 and suggest that they could become markers for tailoring new therapies in aBC. sEpCAM level could be used as an early indicator of response to the therapy.

Substances available in nature with potential therapeutic effects are the subject of research that raises tremendous hopes for new challenges in medicine. Fungi are the most common organisms in the ecosystem and the most interesting in this respect. This review discusses two species of edible fungi, used for centuries in Eastern natural medicine, with the best-documented effect – Hericium erinaceus (He) and Trametes versicolor (Tv). The results of in vivo and in vitro studies conducted on mice and human cell lines demonstrate immunomodulatory, potentially, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and neuroregenerative effects of substances isolated from these fungi. The substances contained in the extracts of He and Tv seem to have immunomodulatory effects that may support chemotherapy. The use of these extracts is justified stronger than the other supportive treat ments based on supplements.

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