[Which future for B lymphocytes infiltrating solid tumors: prognostic biomarker and/or therapeutic target?]

The role of B lymphocytes in tumor immuno-surveillance has been neglected for a long time because it has been often considered to be ineffective if not pro-tumoral. Extensive studies of the tumor immune microenvironment, particularly in humans, has now made it possible to specify the nature of the interactions between B cells and their cellular partners. This review will present a number of parameters that dictate the fate of B cells toward a pro-tumor versus an anti-tumor function. Thus, the ability to elicit a B cell-and/or an antibody-dependent anti-tumor immunity involves a wide variety of molecular and cellular mechanisms, some of which may represent novel therapeutic targets in oncology.