The immunological road to bone: the role of B cells in breast cancer bone metastasis
Ana Teijeiro
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Bethesda, USA
Metastasis remains the primary cause of cancer-related deaths. In breast cancer, bone metastasis is the most frequent and clinically challenging complication. Despite therapeutic advances, it remains an incurable disease, underscoring the need to define the mechanisms that determine successful colonization of the bone by disseminated tumor cells. While current paradigms emphasize tumor-osteoclast interactions and myeloid-mediated immunosuppression, the contribution of lymphoid populations within the bone marrow has remained largely unexplored. In this seminar, Dr. Teijeiro will present recent work investigating how breast cancer cells alter the bone marrow immune niche and the consequences of these changes for skeletal metastatic progression. Her study uncovers a previously unrecognized role of B cells as critical gatekeepers of skeletal colonization and redefines the bone marrow as an active immune regulatory hub that determines metastatic fate. Dr. Teijeiro will also discuss emerging questions aimed at advancing our understanding of the bone marrow as a systemic sensor of the whole body and as a regulator of metastatic development.