The Roles of Exosomes in Anti-Cancer Drugs

Background: Cancer is an escalating global health issue, with rising incidence rates annually. Chemotherapy, a primary Cancer treatment, often exhibits low tumor-targeting efficiency and severe side effects, limiting its effectiveness. Recent research indicates that exosomes, due to their immunogenicity and molecular delivery capabilities, hold significant potential as drug carriers for tumor treatment.

Methods: This review summarizes the current status, powerful therapeutic potential, and challenges of using exosomes for the treatment of tumors.

Results: Exosomes are crucial in tumor diagnosis, onset, and progression. To improve the efficacy of exosome-based treatments, researchers are exploring various biological, physical, and chemical approaches to engineer exosomes as a new nanomedicine translational therapy platform with broad and alterable therapeutic capabilities. Numerous clinical trials are currently underway investigating the safety and tolerability of exosomes carrying drugs to specific sites for the treatment of tumors.

Conclusions: Exosomes can be engineered as carriers to deliver therapeutic molecules to specific cells and tissues, offering a novel approach for disease treatment.

cancer; chemotherapy; drug carrier; exosome.