The recent progress of tumor cell-derived exosomes in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and therapeutic strategies of tumors

Exosomes are extracellular vesicles of nanoscale, which represent the characteristics of the cells of origin. Tumor cell-derived exosomes (TEXs) obtain the characteristics of the tumor cells, which meanwhile transfer the various substances from the tumor cells to regulate the other cells and microenvironments. TEXs play an important role in the pathogenesis of tumors, which can promote the progression, metastasis and recurrence of tumors. Furthermore, TEXs also facilitate chemotherapy resistance and radiotherapy resistance of tumors. TEXs can be applied as biomarkers for the diagnosis of tumors as well as the differentiation of the subtypes and stages of tumors. TEXs also can be used in the evaluation of the prognosis and chemotherapy/radiotherapy resistance of tumors. For tumor therapy, TEXs can be utilized as potential targets, delivery carriers and tumor vaccines to hinder tumor progression. This review highlights the recent advances in the research and application of TEXs, which provides new ideas for the understanding and control of tumor diseases.