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Review
. 2024 Mar 8;24(1):322.
doi: 10.1186/s12885-024-11819-4.

Diagnostic potential of exosomal extracellular vesicles in oncology

Mickensone Andre  1 , Allen Caobi  1 , Jana S Miles  1 , Arti Vashist  1 , Marco A Ruiz  1   2 , Andrea D Raymond  3
Affiliations
Review

Diagnostic potential of exosomal extracellular vesicles in oncology

Mickensone Andre et al. BMC Cancer. .

Abstract

Liquid biopsy can detect circulating cancer cells or tumor cell-derived DNA at various stages of cancer. The fluid from these biopsies contains extracellular vesicles (EVs), such as apoptotic bodies, microvesicles, exomeres, and exosomes. Exosomes contain proteins and nucleic acids (DNA/RNA) that can modify the microenvironment and promote cancer progression, playing significant roles in cancer pathology. Clinically, the proteins and nucleic acids within the exosomes from liquid biopsies can be biomarkers for the detection and prognosis of cancer. We review EVs protein and miRNA biomarkers identified for select cancers, specifically melanoma, glioma, breast, pancreatic, hepatic, cervical, prostate colon, and some hematological malignancies. Overall, this review demonstrates that EV biomolecules have great potential to expand the diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers used in Oncology; ultimately, EVs could lead to earlier detection and novel therapeutic targets. Clinical implicationsEVs represent a new paradigm in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. The potential use of exosomal contents as biomarkers for diagnostic and prognostic indicators may facilitate cancer management. Non-invasive liquid biopsy is helpful, especially when the tumor is difficult to reach, such as in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Moreover, another advantage of using minimally invasive liquid biopsy is that monitoring becomes more manageable. Identifying tumor-derived exosomal proteins and microRNAs would allow a more personalized approach to detecting cancer and improving treatment.

Keywords: Biomarkers; Cancer; Daignostics; Exosomes; Extracellular vesicles; MicroRNA; Therapeutics.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Tumor-derived exosomes (TEX) migration into the bloodstream. Cancer cells release large quantities of exosomes. In the extracellular environment, TEXs outnumber their normal exosome counterparts. These TEXs can be detected in the bloodstream or other bodily fluids. Images were created with Biorender.com and Adobe Photoshop
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
TEX Biomarkers and associated cancers: Listed are the protein and RNA biomarkers. Images were created with Biorender.com and Adobe Photoshop
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Methods used to isolate TEX and detect their biomarkers in personalized medicine. Step 1—collect patient biofluid sample such as saliva, urine, or blood. Step 2—isolate exosomes from these samples via a variety of methods. Step 3—detect TEX with varying methods such as mass spectrometry, ELISAs, or western blots for proteins, PCR or RNAseq for RNA, and multiplexed microarrays all of which are isolation-dependent. The pairing of techniques can be key for the optimization of biomarker detection. Images were created with Biorender.com and Adobe Photoshop
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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