Clinical significance and prognostic value of circulating B10 cells in colorectal cancer

Background B10 cells, a subset of regulatory B cells, can inhibit antitumor response and thus promote tumor development. This study explored the clinical meaning and prognostic value of circulating B10 cells in colorectal cancer (CRC). Materials and methods The proportion of B10 cells in peripheral blood in CRC patients and healthy controls was detected by multicolor flow cytometry. Results The proportion of circulating B10 cells was remarkably elevated in CRC patients compared to normal controls (% of CD19(+)B cells; 16.6% (IQR 6.0%) versus 9.0% (IQR 5.7%), p < 0.001). B10 cells proportion was associated with tumor size, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, and TNM stage in CRC. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that CRC patients with high B10 cells proportion suffered worse overall survival than those with low B10 cells proportion. Multivariate analysis revealed that the proportion of B10 cells was an independent prognostic indicator for CRC patients. Conclusion Our results indicate that the proportion of circulating B10 cells is an independent prognostic factor for patients with CRC and thus may help guide the clinical decision in CRC.