Inflammatory B cells correlate with failure to checkpoint blockade in melanoma patients
Open Access
- 1 January 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in OncoImmunology
- Vol. 10 (1), 1873585
- https://doi.org/10.1080/2162402X.2021.1873585
Abstract
The understanding of the role of B cells in patients with solid tumors remains insufficient. We found that circulating B cells produced TNF alpha and/or IL-6, associated with unresponsiveness and poor overall survival of melanoma patients treated with anti-CTLA4 antibody. Transcriptome analysis of B cells from melanoma metastases showed enriched expression of inflammatory response genes. Publicly available single B cell data from the tumor microenvironment revealed a negative correlation between TNF alpha expression and response to immune checkpoint blockade. These findings suggest that B cells contribute to tumor growth via the production of inflammatory cytokines. Possibly, these B cells are different from tertiary lymphoid structure-associated B cells, which have been described to correlate with favorable clinical outcome of cancer patients. Further studies are required to identify and characterize B cell subsets and their functions promoting or counteracting tumor growth, with the aim to identify biomarkers and novel treatment targets.Funding Information
- Swiss Cancer Research Foundation (KFS-3971-08-2016)
- Cancer Research Institute, Alfred and Annemarie von Sick and the University of Lausanne
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