Molecular crosstalk via exosomes in lung cancer progression

Abstract

Exosomes play a critical role in lung cancer metastasis, facilitating tumor progression through intercellular communication between cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment. These nanosized extracellular vesicles carry bioactive molecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids. These exosomes molecular cargos promote immune evasion, angiogenesis, pre-metastatic niche formation, metastasis, and drug resistance. Exosomes enrichment in body fluids has become a promising liquid biopsy biomarker tool for early cancer detection and treatment response monitoring. The current decade's exosome-based lung cancer therapeutic approach is showing promising outcomes (stem cell exosomes, dendritic cell exosomes). This approach, although it has some limitations, such as a lack of standardization of isolation protocol and heterogeneity. In this review, we explore the involvement of exosomes in lung cancer metastasis, theranostics application, clinical trials, challenges, and solutions. In the future, exosomes will become a promising platform for lung cancer theranostics.