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Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the role of sPD-L1 and sPD-1 as potential biomarkers in prostate cancer (PCa). The association of the values of these soluble proteins were correlated to the clinical data: stage of disease, Gleason score, biochemical recurrence etc. For a comprehensive study, the relationship between sPD-L1 and sPD-1 and circulating immune cells was further investigated., Methods: A total of 88 patients with pT2 and pT3 PCa diagnosis and 41 heathy men were enrolled. Soluble sPD-L1 and sPD-1 levels were measured in plasma by ELISA method. Immunophenotyping was performed by flow cytometry analysis., Results: Our study's findings demonstrate that PCa patients had higher levels of circulating sPD-L1 and sPD-1 comparing to healthy controls (p < 0.001). We found a statistically significant (p < 0.05) relationship between improved progression free survival and lower initial sPD-L1 values. Furthermore, patients with a lower sPD-1/sPD-L1 ratio were associated with a higher probability of disease progression (p < 0.05). Additionally, a significant (p < 0.05) association was discovered between higher Gleason scores and elevated preoperative sPD-L1 levels and between sPD-1 and advanced stage of disease (p < 0.05). A strong correlation (p < 0.05), between immunosuppressive CD4+CD25+FoxP3+ regulatory T cells and baseline sPD-L1 was observed in patients with unfavorable postoperative course of the disease, supporting the idea that these elements influence each other in cancer progression. In addition to the postoperative drop in circulating PD-L1, the inverse relationship (p < 0.05), between the percentage of M-MDSC and sPD-L1 in patients with BCR suggests that M-MDSC is not a source of sPD-L1 in PCa patients., Conclusion: Our findings suggest the potential of sPD-L1 as a promising prognostic marker in prostate cancer., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Zvirble, Survila, Bosas, Dobrovolskiene, Mlynska, Zaleskis, Jursenaite, Characiejus and Pasukoniene.)

The management of advanced ovarian cancer is challenging due to the high frequency of recurrence, often associated with the development of resistance to platinum‑based chemotherapy. Molecular analyses revealed the complexity of ovarian cancer with particular emphasis on the immune system, which may contribute to disease progression and response to treatment. Cytokines and chemokines mediate the cross‑talk between cancer and immune cells, and therefore, present as potential biomarkers, reflecting the tumor microenvironment. A panel of circulating C‑C motif chemokine ligand (CCL) and C‑X‑C motif chemokine ligand (CXCL) chemokines were examined in the serum of 40 high‑grade patients with ovarian cancer prior to primary surgery. The level of immune infiltration in tumors was also analyzed. The preoperative levels of chemokines differ between patients. Elevated levels of circulating CXCL4 + CCL20 + CXCL1 combination can discriminate patients with shorter recurrence‑free survival and overall survival. The presence of tumor‑infiltrating T lymphocytes was detected in half of the patients. The mRNA expression analysis suggests the presence of antitumoral and immunosuppressive elements in the tumor microenvironment. The combination of circulating CXCL9 + CXCL10 can distinguish immune‑infiltrated tumors that will lead to shorter recurrence‑free survival. The results suggest that preoperative profiling of circulating chemokines in patients with ovarian cancer may provide valuable information regarding tumor recurrence and immune infiltration. The findings demonstrate that combinations have better prognostic utility than single chemokines, and may serve as patient stratification tools.