Low selenium status is associated with increased risk of thyroid disease. Increased selenium intake may reduce the risk in areas of low selenium intake that exist not only in China but also in many other parts of the world.

Purpose This study aimed to investigate the significance of the controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score as a predictor for survival outcomes for non-metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 325 patients who received surgical treatment for renal cell carcinoma between 2010 and 2012 at Peking University First Hospital. Patients were divided into two groups according to the optimal cut-off value of CONUT score. Kaplan–Meier method and log-rank test were used for survival analysis according to different CONUT groups. Cox proportional hazards regression models were performed to assess the prognostic value of clinicopathological parameters for overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS) and disease-free survival (DFS) respectively. Results The optimal cut-off value of CONUT score was 3. High CONUT score significantly correlated to higher tumor grade ( P <0.001), later pathological T stage ( P <0.001) and tumor necrosis ( P <0.001). Patients with higher CONUT score had worse OS (HR 5.34, 95% CI 2.29–12.46, P <0.001), CSS (HR 5.51, 95% CI 2.12–14.33, P <0.001) and DFS (HR 4.23, 95% CI 2.16–8.29, P <0.001). In multivariable analysis, high CONUT score was an independent risk factor for OS, CSS and DFS (OS: HR=3.36, 95% CI 1.73–6.56, P <0.001; CSS: HR=3.34, 95% CI 1.59–6.98, P =0.001; DFS: HR=1.85, ]95% CI 1.07–3.21, P =0.029) Conclusion Preoperative CONUT score was an independent prognostic factor for OS, CSS and DFS in non-metastatic RCC patients treated with surgery.

Breast cancer and gynecological tumors seriously endanger women’s physical and mental health, fertility, and quality of life. Due to standardized surgical treatment, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, the prognosis and overall survival of cancer patients have improved compared to earlier, but the management of advanced disease still faces great challenges. Recently, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors (PARPis) have been clinically approved for breast and gynecological cancer patients, significantly improving their quality of life, especially of patients with BRCA1/2 mutations. However, drug resistance faced by PARPi therapy has hindered its clinical promotion. Therefore, developing new drug strategies to resensitize cancers affecting women to PARPi therapy is the direction of our future research. Currently, the effects of PARPi in combination with other drugs to overcome drug resistance are being studied. In this article, we review the mechanisms of PARPi resistance and summarize the current combination of clinical trials that can improve its resistance, with a view to identify the best clinical treatment to save the lives of patients.

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The appearance of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has been a major breakthrough in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) therapy. Unfortunately, a portion of patients with TKIs resistance experience disease progression after TKIs therapy. Epigenetic alterations play an important role in the development of TKIs resistance. Current evidence suggests that epigenetic alterations occur frequently in RCC patients with poor response to TKIs therapy, and modulation of them could enhance the cytotoxic effect of antitumor therapy. In this review, we summarize the currently known epigenetic alterations relating to TKIs resistance in RCC, focusing on DNA methylation, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), histone modifications, and their interactions with TKIs treatment. In addition, we discuss application of epigenetic alteration analyses in the clinical setting to predict prognosis of patients with TKIs treatment, and the potential use of epigenetics-based therapies to surmount TKIs resistance.