A new research on cancer treatment has thrown up some unexpected results. Deep inside some tumours are clusters of immune cells that help body fight a rear-guard action against cancer. The discovery is the result of doctors turning to new treatment for cancer called immunotherapy, which works by leveraging the body’s immune system to fight tumours and cancers.

The discovery has come as a surprise to researchers since abundance of B-Cells in cancer patients has sometimes been seen as a marker of poor prognosis. However, the innovative treatment only works well for around 20% of the patients. The researchers have trying to understand why some people respond to immunotherapy better than others.

The new study has found that patients with high levels of B-Cells inside TLS in their tumours were more likely to respond well to the immunotherapy. There are still some unanswered questions as why the clusters form in some tumours and not in others.