J Cancer 2018; 9(5):767-777. doi:10.7150/jca.22505 This issue Cite
Review
1. Hunan Key Laboratory of Translational Radiation Oncology, Hunan Cancer Hospital and The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, 283 Tongzipo Road, Changsha 410013, Hunan, China.
2. Department of Medical Microbiology, Immunology & Cell Biology, Simmons Cancer Institute, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. 913 N. Rutledge Street, Springfield, IL 62794, USA.
# Authors contributed equally.
Exosomes are nanosized (30-100nm) membrane microvesicles secreted through a complex cellular process. Exosomes contain a variety of bioactive molecules, such as proteins, microRNAs(miRNAs or miRs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), playing an important role in the cell-to-cell substance transportation and signal transduction. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma-related exosomes (NPC-Exo) have been identified in circulating blood and contribute to tumor cell proliferation, angiopoiesis, and immune tolerance through remodeling of tumor microenvironment (TME). Nasopharyngeal carcinoma-related exosomes may also induce epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), thus promoting tumor metastasis and chemoradioresistance. Clinically, the exosomes may serve as novel biomarkers for diagnosis and targeted therapies of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. This review article updates the understanding of exosomes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC).
Keywords: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma, exosomes, chemoradioresistance, tumor microenvironment, miRNA, non-coding RNA