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REVIEW article

Front. Immunol.

Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy

Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1548535

This article is part of the Research Topic Extracellular Vesicles in Cancer Research: A New Era for Therapeutic Interventions View all articles

Tumor-Derived Extracellular Vesicles: Key Drivers of Immunomodulation in Breast Cancer

Provisionally accepted
Jieming Li Jieming Li 1Shuo Yu Shuo Yu 2Min Rao Min Rao 2Bomin Cheng Bomin Cheng 3*
  • 1 Henan University of Chinese Medicine, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
  • 2 Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
  • 3 Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital,Shenzhen,518033,China, Shenzhen, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Breast cancer (BC) remains a significant global health challenge characterized by its heterogeneity and treatment complexities. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small membranous particles released by cells, facilitating intercellular communication by transporting bioactive molecules such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Tumor-derived EVs have emerged as pivotal regulators in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and drivers of BC progression. These EVs carry diverse cargoes of bioactive molecules, influencing critical processes such as immune modulation, angiogenesis, and metastasis. By altering the behaviors of immune cells including macrophages, dendritic cells, and T cells, tumorderived EVs contribute to immune evasion and tumor growth. Furthermore, Tumor-derived EVs play a role in mediating drug resistance, impacting the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions. Understanding the multifaceted roles of BC tumor-derived EVs is essential for the development of innovative therapeutic strategies. Targeting pathways mediated by EVs holds promise for enhancing the efficacy of cancer treatments and improving patient outcomes. This comprehensive review provides insights into the intricate interactions of tumor-derived EVs in immune modulation and BC progression, highlighting potential therapeutic targets and avenues for novel cancer therapies.

    Keywords: breast cancer, extracellular vesicles, Immune Regulation, Macrophages, T cells

    Received: 19 Dec 2024; Accepted: 20 Feb 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Li, Yu, Rao and Cheng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Bomin Cheng, Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital,Shenzhen,518033,China, Shenzhen, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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