ArticleDiscover oncology2026
Dynamic changes in peripheral B and NK cells reflect treatment response in breast cancer subtypes.
Article in Discover oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- B-cells in breast cancer: current insights and challenges.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Review
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11 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundThe immune microenvironment plays a critical role in breast cancer progression and therapeutic response. Among circulating immune cells, B cells and natural killer (NK) cells have shown distinct and potentially opposing roles in tumor dynamics. However, whether dynamic changes in peripheral blood B- and NK-cell percentages are associated with treatment response across molecular subtypes of breast cancer remains unclear.
methodsPeripheral blood samples were collected from breast cancer patients before and after standardized subtype-guided therapy (chemotherapy, anti-HER2 therapy, and/or endocrine therapy according to clinical guidelines). Flow cytometry was performed to quantify the percentage of B cells and NK cells within CD45 + lymphocytes. Spearman's rank correlation was used to evaluate associations between B and NK cell percentages. Paired comparisons were performed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Treatment efficacy was defined as objective response rate (complete response + partial response, CR + PR) according to RECIST criteria. Patients with decreased B cell percentage and increased NK cell percentage after treatment were defined as the B-NK group.
resultsSubtype A (-- group) exhibited significantly higher B cells percentages and lower NK cells percentages compared with other subtypes (P < 0.05). A significant negative correlation between B and NK cell percentages was observed in overall cohort and in most subtypes. In subtype A, B cell percentage significantly decreased after treatment (P < 0.05), whereas NK cell percentage showed variable changes. Patients classified into the B-NK group tended to have a higher objective response rate compared with non-B-NK patients across subtypes.
conclusionsPeripheral blood B and NK cell percentages exhibit dynamic and partially coordinated changes during treatment. A pattern characterized by decreased B cell percentage and increased NK cell percentage may be associated with treatment response. These findings are exploratory and hypothesis-generating, and further validation in prospective, well characterized cohorts is required before potential clinical application.
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