Extracellular vesicles – biogenesis and role in cancer treatment

Extracellular vesicles represent a group of cell-derived structures of different sizes encapsulating a variety of molecules. Cargos in exosomes, such as nucleic acids (RNA and DNA), proteins, and lipids serve as external stimuli for recipient cells, thus modifying the intercellular communication pathway in both homeostatic physiological and pathological conditions, including cancer. Due to the heterogeneity of these extracellular vesicles, it has been shown that these vesicles can also carry tumor-associated molecules, favoring the formation of pre-metastatic niches and cancer metastasis. Knowledge of the cellular processes that stand at the basis of their biogenesis and relation with the tumor microenvironment is essential for their potential use for clinical application. This review introduces the expanding and promising field of exosome research focusing on their biogenesis and composition and presenting different methods for their isolation and detection. In addition, this review also discusses their inter-relations within the tumor microenvironment and possible use as potential therapeutic targets.