The Role of Exosomes in Thyroid Cancer and Their Potential Clinical Application

Abstract

The incidence of thyroid cancer (TC) is rapidly increasing worldwide. The diagnostic accuracy and dynamics of TC need to be improved, and traditional treatments are not effective enough for patients with poorly differentiated thyroid cancer. Exosomes are membrane vesicles secreted specifically by various cells and are involved in intercellular communication. Recent studies have shown that exosomes secreted by TC cells contribute to tumor progression, angiogenesis and metastasis. Exosomes in liquid biopsies can reflect the overall molecular information of tumors, and have natural advantages in diagnosing TC. Exosomes also play an important role in tumor therapy due to their special physicochemical properties. TC patients will benefit as more exosome patterns are discovered. In this review, we discuss the role of TC-derived exosomes in tumorigenesis and development, and describe the application of exosomes in the diagnosis and treatment of TC.

Exosomes as New Biomarkers and Drug Delivery Tools for the Prevention and Treatment of Various Diseases: Current Perspectives

“…Recent studies have shown that exosomes secreted by cytotoxic T (TC) cells contribute to tumor progression, angiogenesis and metastasis. Exosomes in liquid biopsies can reflect the overall molecular information of the tumor and have natural advantages in the diagnosis of TC [93]. The advantage of miRNAs in diagnosis is that they are highly stable, protected by bilayer membranes, and contain key information related to the tumor biological response [37,93].…”

“…Exosomes in liquid biopsies can reflect the overall molecular information of the tumor and have natural advantages in the diagnosis of TC [93]. The advantage of miRNAs in diagnosis is that they are highly stable, protected by bilayer membranes, and contain key information related to the tumor biological response [37,93]. Lee et al found that the levels of miR-146b and miR-222 in epithelioid cell (TPC-1) exosomes were higher than those in Nthy-ori3-1 (NTHY) cells, indicating that these two miRNAs may be biomarkers of follicular papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) recurrence [94].…”

Molecular Chaperones and Thyroid Cancer

“…It is assumed that exosomes released by cancer cells can interact with cells around the tumor, both cancerous and stromal, and with distant cells through the circulation, possibly promoting cancer development. The latter could be mediated by one or more of the following mechanisms: enhancement of cell proliferation and invasiveness, stimulation of angiogenesis, induction of immune suppression, and remodeling of the tumor microenvironment to favor metastasis [69][70][71]. These mechanisms and effects are still under investigation.…”

Prognostic and Therapeutic Role of Angiogenic Microenvironment in Thyroid Cancer

“…These alterations are induced and stabilized in the components of the microenvironment through the reciprocal positive and negative interactions between tumor cells and ST (endothelial cells, fibroblasts, macrophages, mast cells) and are mediated by an array of cytokines, receptors, and adhesion molecules [ 39 , 51 ]. Moreover, the communication between cancer cells, ST, and the various stromal cells is mediated by the release of exosomes by the thyroid tumor cells, which contribute to tumor progression, angiogenesis, and metastasis [ 52 ].…”

“…The great interest in angiogenesis for prognostic purposes in cancer appears to be tightly connected to the need for circulating markers; this is even true for thyroid cancers, thus avoiding biopsies and other procedures to stratify patients. A possible application for this aim is the assay of miRNA in exosomes, especially miR-21-5p [ 52 , 125 ], which is a decisive proangiogenic factor produced by thyroid cancer cells. VEGF-A and PDGF-BB have been recently indicated as potential circulating biomarkers of PTC treatment [ 94 ].…”