New predictors for immunotherapy responses sharpen our view of the tumour microenvironment

Bruno, Tullia C.

doi:10.1038/d41586-019-03943-0

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15 January 2020

New predictors for immunotherapy responses sharpen our view of the tumour microenvironment

Three studies reveal that the presence in tumours of two key immune components — B cells and tertiary lymphoid structures — is associated with favourable outcomes when individuals undergo immunotherapy.

Tullia C. Bruno⁰

Tullia C. Bruno
1. Tullia C. Bruno is in the Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15215, USA, and at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Centre, Pittsburgh.
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Current immunotherapies aim to reinvigorate immune cells called killer T cells to fight cancer, but only 20% of individuals with the disease see a lasting clinical benefit from this type of treatment¹. Focusing on other immune cells in patients’ tumours might help us to improve these outcomes. Three studies in Nature, by Cabrita et al.², Petitprez et al.³ and Helmink et al.⁴, now demonstrate that the presence of B cells in human tumours in compartments called tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) is associated with a favourable response to immunotherapy. These complementary studies add to the immunotherapy toolbox by providing new ways of predicting prognosis.

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Nature 577, 474-476 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-03943-0

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