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Updated: Feb 1, 2026

Studying Pancreatic Cancer Stem Cell Characteristics for Developing New Treatment Strategies
Published on: June 20, 2015
B cell and B cell-related pathways for novel cancer treatments
Ryuma Tokunaga1, Madiha Naseem1, Jae Ho Lo1
1Division of Medical Oncology, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 1441 Eastlake Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90033, United States.
Abstract:
B cells are recognized as the main effector cells of humoral immunity which suppress tumor progression by secreting immunoglobulins, promoting T cell response, and killing cancer cells directly. Given these properties, their anti-tumor immune response in the tumor micro-environment (TME) is of great interest. Although T cell-related immune responses have become a therapeutic target with the introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors, not all patients benefit from these treatments. B cell and B cell-related pathways (CCL19, -21/CCR7 axis and CXCL13/CXCR5 axis) play key roles in activating immune response through humoral immunity and local immune activation via tertiary lymphoid structure (TLS) formation. However they have some protumorigenic works in the TME. Thus, a better understanding of B cell and B cell-related pathways is necessary to develop effective cancer control. In this review, we summarize recent evidences regarding the roles of B cell and B cell-related pathways in the TME and immune response and discuss their potential roles for novel cancer treatment strategies.
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