Background/Objectives: Most studies on the interaction between the immune system and cancer focus on T-cells, whereas studies on tumor-infiltrating B-lymphocytes (TIL-Bs) are still underrepresented. The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic impact of TIL-Bs in early- and advanced-stage oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC). Methods: In total, 222 OCSCCs were studied. Consecutive sections were stained for CD45 and CD19. OCSCCs were categorized as either “TIL-B-rich” or “TIL-B-poor”, and the survival of both groups was analyzed. Similar analyses were performed for CD45+ TILs and the CD19/CD45 ratio. Matched subgroups of twelve TIL-B-rich and TIL-B-poor tumors were stained for CD3 and CD8 to determine differences in T-cell infiltration, and further spatial interaction between T- and B-cells was evaluated in six samples. Results: Five-year OS was 75.0% for TIL-B-rich and 54.2% for TIL-B-poor OCSCCs (p< 0.001). The survival benefit of TIL-B-rich OCSCCs remained significant after correction for the histopathological characteristics (p= 0.033). While for early-stage tumors, TIL-B richness benefited OS independent of demographic-, clinical, or histopathological features, for advanced-stage disease, this was not the case, although a clear benefit of a TIL-B-rich status was observed, specifically up until 36 months after diagnosis. TIL-B-rich tumors contained more CD3+ TILs (p= 0.007), but not CD8+ TILs. Spatial characterization suggested that TIL-Bs mostly co-localized with CD3+CD8− TILs and that this interaction was increased in TIL-B-rich OCSCC. Conclusions: The presence of TIL-Bs is associated with a more favorable prognosis in OCSCC, in particular for early-stage disease.
背景/目的：目前关于免疫系统与癌症相互作用的研究多集中于T细胞，而针对肿瘤浸润B淋巴细胞的研究仍相对不足。本研究旨在评估TIL-B在早期及晚期口腔鳞状细胞癌中的预后价值。方法：共纳入222例OCSCC样本，通过连续切片进行CD45和CD19染色。根据TIL-B富集程度将肿瘤分为"TIL-B富集型"与"TIL-B贫乏型"，比较两组生存差异。同时对CD45+ TILs及CD19/CD45比值进行类似分析。另选取12例TIL-B富集型与贫乏型配对的肿瘤亚组进行CD3和CD8染色，评估T细胞浸润差异，并在6例样本中进一步分析T-B细胞的空间相互作用。结果：TIL-B富集型OCSCC的5年总生存率为75.0%，显著高于贫乏型的54.2%（p<0.001）。经组织病理学特征校正后，TIL-B富集型的生存优势仍保持显著（p=0.033）。在早期肿瘤中，TIL-B富集带来的生存获益不受人口学、临床或病理特征影响；而在晚期肿瘤中，虽然诊断后36个月内仍观察到TIL-B富集的明确优势，但未达到统计学显著性。TIL-B富集型肿瘤含有更多CD3+ TILs（p=0.007），但CD8+ TILs无显著差异。空间特征分析显示TIL-B主要与CD3+CD8− TILs共定位，且这种相互作用在TIL-B富集型肿瘤中更为显著。结论：TIL-B的存在与OCSCC更好的预后相关，在早期肿瘤中尤为显著。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家