Tumor-infiltrating B cells and plasma cells influence early-stage lung cancer biology, immunotherapy responses

Through extensive single-cell analysis, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have created a spatial map of tumor-infiltrating B cells and plasma cells in early-stage lung cancers, highlighting previously unappreciated roles these immune cells play in tumor development and treatment outcomes.
 

The study, published today in Cancer Discovery, represents the largest and most comprehensive single-cell atlas on tumor-infiltrating B cells and plasma cells to date, which can be used to develop novel immunotherapy strategies.

"We know the tumor microenvironment plays an important role in regulating tumor growth and metastasis, but we have an incomplete understanding of these interactions. So far, most of the focus has been on T cells," said co-corresponding author Linghua Wang, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of Genomic Medicine. "Our study provides much-needed understanding of the phenotypes of B cells and plasma cells, which also play critical roles in early lung cancer development."

Improved screening approaches have increased the proportion of lung cancers diagnosed at early stages. Surgery is curative for some patients, but new treatment approaches are needed because many still experience a recurrence of their disease. Understanding the early interactions between cancer cells and immune cells could reveal opportunities to block cancer growth or boost the anti-tumor immune response.

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