title: Yin-yang effect of tumor infiltrating B cells in breast cancer: From mechanism to immunotherapy.
abstract: Breast cancer cells secrete chemokines, such as CXCL13, and antigens or express high endothelial venules, attracting B cells to infiltrate into the tumor microenvironment and play a "yin-yang" effect. They not only enhance the anti-tumor immune effect via secreting antibodies and influencing the Fas/FasL, CXCR4/CXCL12 and perforin pathways but they also promote the tumor to form a suppressive milieu by producing immunomodulatory factors and cytokines or using cell-to-cell education to induce the generation of Tregs or myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Currently, most studies on breast cancer tissue have indicated that B cell infiltration could predict better survival and response to therapy, but two studies have reported opposite results. In a 4T1 tumor-bearing BALB/c mice model, B cell-based immunotherapies were administered, but the efficiency was unstable. Herein, we review the "yin-yang" effect of B cells in breast cancer and discuss B cell-based immunotherapy. B cells are complex aggregates, and breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease. Further studies are urgently required to define the B cell subsets and to discover ways to use B cell-based immunotherapy in breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310009, China; Cancer Institute (Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention & Intervention, National Ministry of Education, Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences), The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310009, China; Department of Oncology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310009, China.
authors.forename: Zhigang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310009, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Cancer Institute (Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention & Intervention, National Ministry of Education, Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences), The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310009, China.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiotherapy, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310009, China.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Cancer Institute (Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention & Intervention, National Ministry of Education, Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences), The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310009, China.
authors.forename: Pin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Cancer Institute (Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention & Intervention, National Ministry of Education, Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Medical Sciences), The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310009, China; Department of Oncology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310009, China. Electronic address: drhuangjian@zju.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000637:transplantation*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018925:Chemokines / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002634:Chemotaxis, Leukocyte; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive / Q000379:methods*; D016246:Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000637:transplantation*; D019899:Paracrine Communication; D015398:Signal Transduction; D019139:Tumor Escape; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment; D016709:Yin-Yang
chemical_list: D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D018925:Chemokines
keywords: B cells; Breast cancer; Immunotherapy; Prognosis; Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes