Extracellular vesicles as source of biomarkers in hematological malignancies: looking towards clinical applications

INTRODUCTION: Extracellular vesicles are membranous particles released by cells in physiological and pathological conditions. Their cargo is heterogeneous since it includes different biomolecules such as nucleic acids and proteins. Oncogenic alterations affect the composition of extracellular vesicles and model their content during cancer evolution. AREAS COVERED: This review provides an overview of the studies focused on extracellular vesicles as source of biomarkers in hematological malignancies. A special insight into extracellular vesicles-derived biomarkers as tools for evaluating the prognosis of hematological malignancies and their response to treatment is given. EXPERT OPINION: Extracellular vesicles are a valuable source of biomarkers in hematological malignancies. However, the translation from the bench to the bedside is challenged by the lack of standardization of the preanalytical variables of the experimental workflow. The release of standard operating procedures and the validation of the extracellular vesicles-derived biomarkers in large cohort of patients will help in exploiting the potential of extracellular vesicles in the clinical setting.