Open AccessTumor-infiltrating B cells come into vogue
Author(s) -
Michael Linnebacher
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
world journal of gastroenterology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.427
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 2219-2840
pISSN - 1007-9327
DOI - 10.3748/wjg.v19.i1.8
Subject(s) - cytotoxic t cell , tumor infiltrating lymphocytes , infiltration (hvac) , immune system , cancer research , lymphocyte , immunology , medicine , biology , immunotherapy , genetics , physics , in vitro , thermodynamics
Lymphocyte infiltration into solid tumors has been recognized as a main determinator of positive prognosis. For the most part this is attributed to cytotoxic T cells capable of directly destroying malignant cells. However, when considering the complex composition of the human immune system, recent findings of Nielsen et al on a potentially central role of tumor-infiltrating B cells is not really surprising. In this commentary article, I want to highlight the enormous potential impact of this observation for basic and translational research, prognostic procedures and ultimately for the development of future therapeutic concepts.