Spatial organization of the tumor microenvironment in renal cell cancer

Solid tumors are a heterogeneous mix of tumor, immune, and stromal cells that together form the tumor microenvironment (TME). The composition, functional orientation, and spatial organization of the TME strongly impact the patient’s prognosis and the tumor’s response to treatments. Recently, intratumoral B cells and the aggregate they form in conjunction with T cells, called tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), have been shown to be associated with positive responses to immunotherapy. However, little is known about the role of B cells within TLS. Discover how Meylan et al. used spatial transcriptomics and multicolor immunostainings to characterize the spatial architecture of the TME of clear cell renal cell carcinoma to reveal mechanisms associated with anti-tumor effects, including B-cell maturaturation towards plasma cells and IgG antibody production targeting tumor cells.