Changes in peripheral blood B cell levels predict overall survival in patients with advanced liver cancer treated with immune target inhibitors
PD-1 inhibitors show efficacy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), yet overall outcomes remain poor. In this retrospective study of 258 advanced HCC patients treated between 2019 and 2024, peripheral blood B-cell dynamics were evaluated. Patients with higher B-cell proportions or absolute counts had significantly longer overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Multivariate analysis confirmed elevated B-cell proportion as an independent protective factor for OS. These results suggest that peripheral blood B-cell levels may serve as prognostic biomarkers for PD-1-based immunotherapy in advanced HCC.
Authors
- Shifeng Cheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1617-1747)
- Jing Tang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6351-993X)
- Na Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0082-4969)
- Yujing Mo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0996-3471)
Institutions
- Zhejiang Hospital (CN)
- Zhejiang Academy of Medical Sciences (CN)
- Hangzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Discover Oncology
- Published
- 2025-12-09
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s12672-025-04236-x
- Primary Topic
- Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00