Perioperative changes in peripheral regulatory B cells of patients with esophageal cancer

Current treatments for esophageal cancer (EC) rely on tumor eradication by surgery or chemoradiotherapy. However, such treatments do not account for the assessment and adjustment of the immune status of the patients. Regulatory B cells (Bregs) have been confirmed as a negative regulatory subtype in B‑cell populations. However, to the best of our knowledge, there have been no direct studies on Bregs in patients with EC. The present study enrolled sixty patients with EC and sixty healthy donors to detect the presence of Bregs in peripheral blood and to determine their clinical significance. The percentage of peripheral Bregs was measured using flow cytometry with fluorescence‑labeled antibodies against cluster of differentiation (CD) 5, CD19, interleukin (IL)‑10, forkhead box protein 3 (Foxp3) and transforming growth factor‑β1 (TGF‑β1) prior to and following radical surgery. The level of circulating Bregs in patients with EC was observed to be significantly higher than that in the healthy donors. However, this level was observed to decrease following surgery. The percentage of circulating TGF‑β‑producing Bregs and Foxp3‑expressing Bregs in patients with EC also decreased following surgery. By contrast, the percentage of peripheral IL‑10‑producing Bregs (B10s) significantly increased in patients with advanced EC following surgery. These findings suggest that Bregs have a negative immunoregulatory role in the development and progression of EC. Furthermore, postoperative combination therapies against Bregs, particularly B10s, may improve the outcome of patients with EC following resection.