KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to investigate the frequency of memory B cell subsets in patients with BC compared to healthy women.
- Researchers noticed a significant increase in aMBCs in patients with BC, potentially linked to tumor characteristics; further investigation is ongoing.
Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in females. The immune system plays a crucial role in cancer defense, with B and T cells targeting tumor cells. However, the role of B cells in cancer progression is less investigated.
Atefeh Azizi and the team aimed to access the frequency of naïve and different subsets of memory B cells in the peripheral blood of patients with BC and healthy women.
No significant differences were found in the frequencies of peripheral CD19+ B cells between patients and controls. However, a significant decrease was observed in the frequency of CD19+IgM+ B cells in patients compared to the control group (P=0.030). Patients exhibited higher percentages of atypical memory B cells (aMBCs) (CD19+CD27–IgM–, P=0.006) and a non-significant increasing trend in switched memory B cells (CD19+CD27+IgM–, P=0.074).
Further analysis revealed a higher frequency of aMBCs in the peripheral blood of patients without lymph node involvement as well as those with tumor size greater than 2cm or with estrogen receptor (ER) negative/progesterone receptor (PR) negative tumors, compared with controls (P=0.030, P=0.040, P=0.031, and P=0.054, respectively).
The study concluded that aMBCs (CD19+CD27‒IgM‒) significantly increased in the peripheral blood of patients with BC compared to the control group, suggesting an association with tumor characteristics. Further research is essential to elucidate the precise role of these cells in BC progression.
The study was sponsored by the Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences and Shiraz Institute for Cancer Research.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38702630/
Azizi A, Mehdipour F, Samadi M, et al. (2024). “Atypical memory B cells increase in the peripheral blood of patients with breast cancer regardless of lymph node involvement.” BMC Immunol. 2024 May 3;25(1):25. doi: 10.1186/s12865-024-00620-4. PMID: 38702630.
