Background and objectives Previous studies observed a transient increase in well‐being in about one‐third of regular donors after blood donation. In addition, personal contact with donors after donation seems to increase return rates. We were interested whether changes in well‐being and/or personal contact after the first donation impact return rates of first‐time donors (FTDs). Materials and methods First‐time donors were randomized to a questionnaire group (QG), in which questionnaires assessing the well‐being had to be filled in, or a control group (CG), which was not contacted with a questionnaire. The QG had to complete the same questionnaire three times at the day of the first donation and then four times over an 8‐week period with reminding calls by the study coordinator. Return rates of participants were followed for 12 months. Results A total of 102 FTDs participated in the QG and 115 in the CG. Changes in well‐being after the first donation had minimal impact on the return rates. In contrast, contacting FTDs after their first donation had a significant impact on the return rate of male donors (89·2% in the QG vs. 58·3% in the CG; P = 0·001). Females showed no significant difference in return rates between both groups (P = 0·32). Conclusion The well‐being of FTDs had no influence on their return rate. The intervention of regular contacts during a research project follow‐up resulted in an increased return rate of male but not of female FTDs. The pronounced difference of the impact of this intervention between male and female donors requires further studies.

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Mucinous cystic neoplasms of the pancreas are uncommon and especially their occurrence during pregnancy is an extremely rare event which necessitates an individualized and interdisciplinary management. A 33-year old woman was referred to our department during her third trimester of pregnancy (34th week of gestation) with severe anemia and tarry stools. Based on gastroscopic findings, our interdisciplinary team suspected a gastrointestinal stromal tumor and therefore indicated a prompt delivery via cesarean section completed with an oncological resection of the neoplasm. Histological examination subsequently showed a mucinous cystic neoplasm of the pancreas with no evidence of malignancy. To review the prevalence of mucinous cystic neoplasms and to discuss diagnosis and treatment during pregnancy. Moreover, we critically value the indication of preterm delivery and the oncological procedure in the perspective of outcome for mother and infant. A bleeding gastrointestinal tumor during pregnancy represents a life-threatening risk for mother and infant and requires an immediate interdisciplinary treatment. The urgency and radicality of the therapy should be adapted according to individual findings. As our patient’s tumor was suspected of having a malignant progression, an extensive surgical intervention was necessary.

Ovarian cancer is the third most common gynecological malignancy and has the highest mortality rate. Owing to unspecific symptoms, ovarian cancer is not detected until an advanced stage in about two-thirds of cases. Therefore, it is crucial to establish reliable biomarkers for the early stages to improve the patients’ prognosis. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the ADAM17 substrates Nectin-4, Heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) and Amphiregulin (AREG) could function as potential tumor markers for ovarian cancer. In this study a set of 231 sera consisting of 131 ovarian cancer patients and 100 healthy age-matched controls were assembled. Nectin-4, HB-EGF and AREG levels of preoperatively collected sera were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Our analysis revealed that Nectin-4 and HB-EGF were significantly increased compared to the age-matched control group (p < 0.0001, p = 0.016). Strikingly, significantly higher Nectin-4 and HB-EGF levels were detected in early-stage FIGO I/II (p <0.001; p = 0.025) compared to healthy controls. Eighty-four percent (16/19) of patients with low Ca-125 levels showed increased Nectin-4 levels. Our study proposes Nectin-4 and HB-EGF as promising blood-based biomarkers for the detection of early stages of ovarian cancer patients that would not have been detected by Ca-125.

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