Role of exosomes in non-small cell lung cancer and EGFR-mutated lung cancer

Abstract

As an important mediator of information transfer between cells, exosomes play a unique role in regulating tumor growth, supporting vascular proliferation, tumor invasion, and metastasis. Exosomes are widely present in various body fluids, and therefore they can be used as a potential tool for non-invasive liquid biopsy. The present study reviews the role of exosomes in liquid biopsy, tumor microenvironment formation, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). By targeting epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) therapy as a first-line treatment for patients with NSCLC, this study also briefly describes the occurrence of EGRF+ exosomes and the role of exosomes and their contents in non-invasive detection and potential therapeutic targets in EGFR-mutated lung cancer.

Keywords: EGFR; epithelial to mesenchymal transformation (EMT); exosome; lung cancer; target therapy; tumor microenvironment (TME).