Exosomal proteins in cancer: exosome-mediated metastasis and biomarker potential

Abstract

Exosomes, first thought to function only as cellular garbage disposal, are secreted by all cells and have recently been discovered that they also function as a cell-cell communication tool. We have previously shown that cancer cells send "exosomes" to the future site of metastasis to alter the environment to a favorable place where cancer cells can successfully metastasize. In this review, I will discuss how exosomes define the metastatic sites, potential for using plasma-derived exosomes to identify cancer, or even define a panel of tumor-type specific exosomal proteins, which may help classify tumors of unknown primary origin.