Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31200747›Full record

ArticleJournal for immunotherapy of cancer2019

B cell depletion or absence does not impede anti-tumor activity of PD-1 inhibitors.

William Damsky, Lucia Jilaveanu, Noel Turner, Curtis Perry, Christopher Zito, Mary Tomayko, Jonathan Leventhal, Kevan Herold, Eric Meffre, Marcus Bosenberg and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal for immunotherapy of cancer, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 61 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
61citing papers in PubMed
4.1field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

61 citing papers in PubMed, 77 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
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  3. IgM promotes antitumor immunity to a Tn-expressing solid tumor.Journal for immunotherapy of cancer · 2026
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  16. Induced B cell receptor diversity predicts PD-1 blockade immunotherapy response.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025
    Article
  17. Role of B cells in intratumoral MBTA immunotherapy of murine pheochromocytoma model.Best practice & research. Clinical endocrinology & metabolism · 2025
    Review
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Article

1 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

William DamskyDepartments of Dermatology, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
Lucia JilaveanuDepartments of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
Noel TurnerDepartments of Dermatology, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
Curtis PerryDepartments of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
Christopher ZitoDepartments of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
Mary TomaykoDepartments of Dermatology, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
Jonathan LeventhalDepartments of Dermatology, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
Kevan HeroldDepartments of Immunbiology, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
Eric MeffreDepartments of Immunbiology, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
Marcus BosenbergDepartments of Dermatology, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA. Marcus.Bosenberg@yale.edu.
Harriet M KlugerDepartments of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA. Harriet.Kluger@yale.edu.
Yale University · US

Funding

Yale Clinical and Translational Science Award (U Component)UL1TR001863 · NCATS · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI John H. Krystal, LUCILA OHNO-MACHADO · 2016 to 2026
$102.9M
Yale SPORE in Skin CancerP50CA121974 · NCI · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI RUTH HALABAN · 2006 to 2026
$43.9M
Regulation of IgA class switching in the intestinal mucosaP01AI061093 · NIAID · MOUNT SINAI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE OF NYU · PI CASANOVA, JEAN-LAURENT · 2004 to 2021
$29.8M
Tumor Assessment CoreP01CA128814 · NCI · SANFORD BURNHAM PREBYS MEDICAL DISCOVERY INSTITUTE · PI SMITH, JEFFREY W · 2009 to 2020
$19.1M
NRSA Training CoreTL1TR001864 · NCATS · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI CANTLEY, LLOYD G, EDELMAN, E. JENNIFER · 2016 to 2025
$9.9M
(8) Mechanisms of autoimmune endocrine diseases in patients receiving checkpoint inhibitorsR01CA227473 · NCI · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI HEROLD, KEVAN C, KLUGER, HARRIET M. · 2018 to 2022
$3.2M
Renalase inhibition for treatment of unresectable melanomaR01CA216846 · NCI · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI DESIR, GARY V., KLUGER, HARRIET M. · 2017 to 2021
$2.4M
Inherent tropism and/or immune modulation in melanoma brain metastasisR01CA204002 · NCI · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI JILAVEANU, LUCIA BEATRICE · 2017 to 2021
$1.9M
Models to Predict Prognosis and Benefit from Adjuvant Therapy in Renal Cell CarciR01CA158167 · NCI · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI KLUGER, HARRIET M. · 2011 to 2015
$1.8M
Congenic Mouse Medels of Melanoma for the Characterization of Tumor Immune ResponsesR01CA196660 · NCI · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI BOSENBERG, MARCUS W · 2016 to 2018
$1.7M
A research and training program for junior clinicians in treating metastatic melaK24CA172123 · NCI · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI KLUGER, HARRIET M. · 2013 to 2017
$780k
NCATS NIH HHS TL1 TR001864NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001863NCI NIH HHS K24 CA172123NCI NIH HHS P01 CA128814NCI NIH HHS P50 CA121974NCI NIH HHS R01 CA158167NCI NIH HHS R01 CA196660NCI NIH HHS R01 CA204002NCI NIH HHS R01 CA216846NCI NIH HHS R01 CA227473NIAID NIH HHS P01 AI061093
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPD-1 inhibitors are approved for multiple malignancies and function by stimulating T cells. However, the role of B cells in the anti-tumor activity of these drugs is unknown, as is their activity in patients who have received B cell depleting drugs or with immunoglobulin deficiencies.

methodsWe studied B cell content in 40 melanomas from patients treated with pembrolizumab or nivolumab and assessed the association with response to therapy. Murine MC38 colon cancer and YUMMER1.7 melanoma models were used to determine whether concomitant anti-CD20 antibody injections diminish the anti-tumor effects of anti-PD-1. Results were validated in muMT mice, which lack B cells.

resultsB cells were sparse in most melanomas and B cell content was not associated with response to anti-PD-1 or overall survival. Employing MC38 and YUMMER1.7 models, we demonstrated that anti-CD20 antibodies reduce tumor-infiltrating B cells yet had no effect on tumor growth, response to PD-1 inhibition, or survival. In muMT mice, T-cell dependent tumor rejection and anti-PD-1 responses were no different than in wildtype C57BL/6 J mice.

conclusionsThe degree of tumor infiltrating B cell content is not associated with response to anti-PD-1 inhibitors in melanoma. PD-1 inhibitors cause tumor shrinkage in murine cancer models even when B cells are absent or are depleted. PD-1 inhibitors are likely to be active in patients with impaired B cell function, such as patients undergoing B cell depletion with drugs including rituximab for conditions such as B cell malignancies or autoimmune disorders.

Indexed as

AgedAnimalsAntibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedAntineoplastic Agents, ImmunologicalB-LymphocytesCell Line, TumorColonic NeoplasmsFemaleHumansMaleMelanomaMelanoma, ExperimentalMiceNivolumabProgrammed Cell Death 1 ReceptorSkin NeoplasmsAntibodies, Monoclonal, HumanizedAntineoplastic Agents, ImmunologicalNivolumabPDCD1 protein, humanPdcd1 protein, mousepembrolizumabProgrammed Cell Death 1 ReceptorB cell depletionCD20Colon cancerImmune checkpoint blockadeMelanomaPD-1

Identifiers

PMID31200747
PMCPMC6567557
OpenAlexW2952471974

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.