We review state-of-the-art in translational and clinical studies focusing on the tumor microenvironment (TME) with a focus on tumor-infiltrating B cells (TIBs). The TME is a dynamic matrix of mutations, immune-regulatory networks, and distinct cell-to-cell interactions which collectively impact on disease progress. We discuss relevant findings concerning B cells in pancreatic cancer, the concepts of "bystander" B cells, the role of antigen-specific B cells contributing to augmenting anticancer-directed immune responses, the role of B cells as prognostic markers for response to checkpoint inhibitors (ICBs), and the potential use in adoptive cell tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) products.
Keywords: Adjuvant therapy; Antibody; B cells; Breg; CDR3; Chemotherapy; Complement; Cytokines; ICB; Immune checkpoint inhibition; Immune responses; Immunosuppression; Inflammation; Pancreatic cancer; Prognostic markers; RNA profiling; TIB; TIL; Therapy.