{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T04:17:07Z","timestamp":1787026627560,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,17]],"date-time":"2026-04-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776384000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Immunol."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Occult breast cancer (OBC) presents with axillary lymph node (ALN) metastases without detectable primary tumor (PT) yet exhibits paradoxically favorable prognosis compared to non-occult breast cancer (non-OBC). We aimed to elucidate mechanisms underlying PT clearance by integrating multi-omics approaches to characterize the unique immune landscape.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Survival outcomes were validated using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (n=12,162) with propensity score matching (PSM). Molecular features were characterized via quantitative proteomics, while immune landscapes were assessed using bulk transcriptomics. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and CellChat analysis dissected cellular heterogeneity and intercellular communication within tumor microenvironment.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Survival analysis confirmed OBC patients have survival comparable to T1N+M0 but significantly better than T2\u20133N+M0 breast cancer (BC) patients. Proteomic profiling identified B cell-related pathway upregulation in OBC lymph nodes (LN). Transcriptomics revealed enriched B cell infiltration in T1 tumors correlating with improved survival. scRNA-seq further demonstrated that B cells in T1 tumors act as central hubs in intercellular communication. These cells orchestrate a robust anti-tumor response via multi-faceted secretory signals (e.g., tumor necrosis factor, TNF; B-cell activating factor, BAFF) and contact-dependent interactions (e.g., CD40; major histocompatibility complex, MHC), effectively recruiting and activating immune effectors.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Our findings suggest that B cell-mediated immune surveillance may be a key mechanism contributing to the clearance of PT in OBC. These exploratory results underscore the potential of B cells as prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in BC, pending functional validation in larger cohorts.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2026.1813674","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,17]],"date-time":"2026-04-17T05:22:44Z","timestamp":1776403364000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["B cell-mediated immune surveillance defines the favorable prognosis of occult breast cancer: a multi-omics study"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Junjie","family":"Liu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Breast Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi\u2019an Jiaotong University","place":["Xi\u2019an, Shaanxi, 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