Extracellular vesicle-based liquid biopsies in cancer: Future biomarkers for oral cancer

Sakura Minami; Daichi Chikazu; Takahiro Ochiya; Yusuke Yoshioka

doi:10.1016/j.tranon.2023.101786

Extracellular vesicle-based liquid biopsies in cancer: Future biomarkers for oral cancer

Transl Oncol. 2023 Dec:38:101786. doi: 10.1016/j.tranon.2023.101786. Epub 2023 Sep 13.

Authors

Sakura Minami¹, Daichi Chikazu², Takahiro Ochiya³, Yusuke Yoshioka⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo Medical University, 6-7-1, Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0023, Japan; Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Tokyo Medical University, 6-7-1, Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0023, Japan.
² Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Tokyo Medical University, 6-7-1, Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0023, Japan.
³ Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo Medical University, 6-7-1, Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0023, Japan.
⁴ Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo Medical University, 6-7-1, Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-0023, Japan. Electronic address: yyoshiok@tokyo-med.ac.jp.

Abstract

Oral cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide, with approximately 530,000 new cases and 300,000 deaths each year. The process of carcinogenesis is complex, and survival rates have not changed significantly in recent decades. Early detection of cancer, prognosis prediction, treatment selection, and monitoring of progression are important to improve survival. With the recent significant advances in analytical technology, liquid biopsy has made it possible to achieve these goals. In this review, we report new results from clinical and cancer research applications of liquid biopsy, focusing on extracellular vesicles (EVs) among the major targets of liquid biopsy, namely, circulating tumor cells (CTCs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), and EVs. In addition, the potential application of EVs derived from gram-negative bacteria (outer membrane vesicles; OMVs) among oral bacteria, which have recently attracted much attention, to liquid biopsy for oral cancer will also be addressed.

Keywords: Biomarkers; Extracellular vesicles; Liquid biopsy; Oral cancer.