Teng Yong, Gao Lixia, Loveless Reid, Rodrigo Juan P, Strojan Primož, Willems Stefan M, Nathan Cherie-Ann, Mäkitie Antti A, Saba Nabil F, Ferlito Alfio
Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Targeted and Innovative Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy, Chongqing University of Arts and Sciences, Chongqing 402160, China.
Cancers (Basel). 2021 Nov 19;13(22):5802. doi: 10.3390/cancers13225802.
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) represents an aggressive and heterogenous group of cancers whose pathologies remain largely unresolved. Despite recent advances in HNSCC therapeutic strategies, the overall survival of HNSCC patients remains poor and continues to prompt efforts to develop more effective therapies. Exosomes are a subtype of extracellular vesicles secreted by a variety of cells that have begun to spark significant interest in their roles in cancer. As membranous vesicles, spanning from 30-150 nm in diameter, exosomes mediate the transport of various molecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids, intercellularly throughout the body. In doing so, exosomes not only act to deliver materials to cancer cells but also as signals that can confer their progression. Accumulating evidence shows the direct correlation between exosomes and the aggressiveness of HNSCC. However, more research is warranted in this field to further our understanding. In this review, we attempt to highlight the tumor-supporting roles and therapeutic potential of exosomes in HNSCC. We introduce first the biogenesis and component features of exosomes, followed by their involvement in HNSCC proliferation and metastasis. We then move on to discuss HNSCC-derived exosomes' influence on the tumor microenvironment and their function in tumor drug resistance. Finally, we explore the promising potential of exosomes as HNSCC biomarkers and therapeutic targets and drug carriers for HNSCC treatments.
头颈部鳞状细胞癌（HNSCC）是一组侵袭性强且异质性高的癌症，其病理机制在很大程度上仍未得到解决。尽管HNSCC治疗策略最近取得了进展，但HNSCC患者的总体生存率仍然很低，这继续促使人们努力开发更有效的治疗方法。外泌体是由多种细胞分泌的细胞外囊泡的一种亚型，它们在癌症中的作用已开始引起人们的极大兴趣。作为直径在30 - 150纳米之间的膜性囊泡，外泌体介导各种分子，如蛋白质、核酸和脂质，在全身细胞间的运输。通过这样做，外泌体不仅起到将物质传递给癌细胞的作用，还作为能够促进其进展的信号。越来越多的证据表明外泌体与HNSCC的侵袭性之间存在直接关联。然而，该领域仍需要更多研究以加深我们的理解。在这篇综述中，我们试图强调外泌体在HNSCC中的肿瘤支持作用和治疗潜力。我们首先介绍外泌体的生物发生和成分特征，接着阐述它们在HNSCC增殖和转移中的作用。然后我们继续讨论源自HNSCC的外泌体对肿瘤微环境的影响及其在肿瘤耐药性中的作用。最后，我们探索外泌体作为HNSCC生物标志物、治疗靶点以及HNSCC治疗药物载体的潜在前景。
