“A perfect pair”: extracellular vesicle-based novel strategies for precise cancer diagnosis and effective treatment

Abstract

Cancer remains a critical global health challenge, demanding innovative biomarkers and therapeutic targets for improved diagnosis and treatment. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are cell-secreted entities facilitating intercellular communication, have emerged as promising non-invasive biomarkers in oncology. This review focuses on the role of EVs in cancer diagnosis and therapy, covering their biogenesis, isolation, characterization, and functional implications. It emphasizes engineered EV modifications for biomedical tumor therapy, highlighting EV sources for vaccines, tumor immunotherapy activation, tumor microenvironment modulation, and enhanced nanodynamic therapy. Finally, it discusses the opportunities and challenges in translating EVs to clinical practice. By integrating recent findings, this review underscores the significance of EVs in revolutionizing cancer management through advanced diagnostics and effective therapies.