94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or good
Learn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish.
Find out more
REVIEW article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Translational Pharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1485661
Functional tumor-derived exosomes in NSCLC progression and clinical implications
Provisionally accepted- 1 Department of Abdominal Oncology, Sichuan Cancer Hospital, Chengdu, China
- 2 Information Technology Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- 3 West China Sanya Hospital of Sichuan University,, Sanya, China
- 4 Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
- 5 College of pharmacy，Chengdu Medical College, Chengdu, China
- 6 Department of Oncology, Sichuan Cancer Hospital, Chengdu, China
- 7 Department of Radiation Oncology, Sichuan Cancer Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 85% of all lung cancer cases and remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide. The high mortality rate is primarily driven by delayed diagnosis, rapid metastasis, and frequent recurrence. Tumor-derived exosomes (TEXs) have emerged as critical mediators in NSCLC progression, offering valuable insights into the tumor microenvironment. Exosomes are small membrane vesicles that facilitate intercellular communication and transport bioactive molecules, including proteins, RNAs, and DNAs, thereby reflecting the genetic complexity of tumors. These exosomes play a key role in promoting tumor metastasis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), neovascularization, drug resistance, and immune evasion, all of which are pivotal in the development of NSCLC. This review explores the diverse roles of TEXs in NSCLC progression, focusing on their involvement in pre-metastatic niche formation, tissue metastasis, and immune modulation. Specifically, we discuss the roles of exosome-associated RNAs and proteins in NSCLC, and their contribute to tumor growth and metastasis. Furthermore, we explore the potential of TEXs as biomarkers for NSCLC, emphasizing their application in diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction of resistance to targeted therapies and immunotherapies.
Keywords: Exosomes, NSCLC, Tumor progression and metastasis, Tumor drug resistance, Immune Regulation
Received: 20 Sep 2024; Accepted: 27 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Gao, Xie, Yang, Li, Yuan and Li. 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:
Hongfan Yuan, Department of Oncology, Sichuan Cancer Hospital, Chengdu, China
Rui Li, Department of Radiation Oncology, Sichuan Cancer Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, 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.