Scientists have discovered that mesothelioma patients whose tumors contain organized clusters of immune cells, called B cells, live significantly longer than patients without these clusters. This finding may help doctors both predict survival and develop new treatments for the deadly asbestos-related cancer.
Mesothelioma Study Uses Advanced Technology to Map Cancer-fighting Immune Cells
Mesothelioma is a rare, asbestos-related form of cancer that is extremely difficult to treat; most patients survive mere months after diagnosis. Doctors have struggled to predict which patients will respond to treatment, in part because they had no way of identifying individual immune cells or understanding how they were organized.
To address this weakness, a group of international mesothelioma researchers examined tumor samples one cell at a time while simultaneously mapping the precise location of each one. In a study published in the British Journal of Cancer, they report finding that tumors from patients with the best survival outcomes contained “tertiary lymphoid structures” that organize B cells (immune cells that produce antibodies) and T cells (immune cells that directly kill cancer) into organized zones.
Mesothelioma Patients with Organized Immune Structures Live Significantly Longer
According to the study, the more of these B cells and immune structures were present in mesothelioma patients’ tumors, the better the patient’s survival. This discovery both provides a powerful predictor of which patients will do better and changes how scientists think about fighting mesothelioma. For years, cancer immunotherapy focused almost exclusively on T cells—the immune cells that act like soldiers directly attacking cancer. This study shows that B cells organized into these special structures may be equally important. B cells can fight cancer in multiple ways: they produce antibodies that tag cancer cells for destruction, they help activate T cells to attack more effectively, and they present markers to other immune cells to coordinate the overall attack.
Why does this matter for mesothelioma treatment? Current immunotherapy drugs work by releasing the brakes on T cells, but even with their use, these treatments help fewer than 25% of mesothelioma patients. Understanding that B cells and these organized immune structures predict survival opens the door to completely new treatment approaches—drugs that could stimulate the body to build more of these immune command centers inside tumors or boost B cell activity to fight cancer more effectively.
Turning “Cold” Mesothelioma Tumors into “Hot” Tumors
Scientists describe mesothelioma tumors in which the immune system isn’t actively fighting as “cold” tumors, and tumors with robust immune responses as “hot” tumors. The discovery of these structures, which organize and engage the immune system, means that future treatments might focus on stimulating the formation of these immune command centers, potentially making existing immunotherapy drugs work better for more mesothelioma patients.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, this type of discovery offers hope for better outcomes. For further information on treatment and more, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.
