随着发病率的上升,口腔癌(OC)带来了巨大的全球健康负担。尽管在诊断和治疗方面取得了进步,OC患者的生存率,特别是那些患有晚期或复发性疾病的人,保持在20%左右的低位。这种不良预后通常是由于能够自我更新和免疫逃避的一小部分癌症干细胞(CSC)。在扩散中发挥关键作用,肿瘤起始,programming,转移,和治疗抵抗。外泌体,它们是纳米级的细胞外囊泡(EV),已成为肿瘤微环境(TME)内细胞间通讯的关键介质。这些囊泡携带不同的分子,如DNA,RNA,蛋白质,脂质,和代谢物,影响各种细胞过程。新的证据表明,CSC衍生的EV显着促进肿瘤进展和转移,并维持CSC和非CSC之间的平衡。这对于口腔癌TME内的细胞内通讯至关重要。最近的报道表明,口腔癌干细胞衍生的电动汽车(OCSC-EV)影响干性,免疫逃避,转移,血管生成,肿瘤复发,和抗药性。了解OCSC-EV可以显着提高口腔癌的诊断,预后,和治疗。在这个小型审查中,我们探索口腔癌中OCSC衍生的外泌体,检查它们作为反映CSC特征的诊断和预后生物标志物的潜力,并深入研究它们的治疗意义,强调它们在肿瘤进展和治疗抵抗中的作用。然而,尽管他们有很大的潜力,仍然存在一些挑战,包括标准化分离和表征方法以及阐明外泌体介导的机制的需要。因此,全面了解OCSC-EV可以为有可能改善OC患者临床结局的创新治疗策略铺平道路.
Oral cancer (OC) presents a significant global health burden with rising incidence rates. Despite advancements in diagnosis and treatments, the survival rate for OC patients, particularly those with advanced or recurrent disease, remains low at approximately 20%. This poor prognosis is often due to a small population of cancer stem cells (CSCs) that are capable of self-renewal and immune evasion, playing pivotal roles in proliferation, tumor initiation, progression, metastasis, and therapy resistance. Exosomes, which are nano-sized extracellular vesicles (EVs), have emerged as crucial mediators of cell-to-cell communication within the tumor microenvironment (TME). These vesicles carry diverse molecules such as DNA, RNA, proteins, lipids, and metabolites, influencing various cellular processes. Emerging evidence suggests that CSC-derived EVs significantly promote tumor progression and metastasis and maintain the balance between CSCs and non-CSCs, which is vital for intracellular communication within the TME of oral cancer. Recent reports indicate that oral cancer stem cell-derived EVs (OCSC-EVs) influence stemness, immune evasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, tumor reoccurrence, and drug resistance. Understanding OCSC-EVs could significantly improve oral cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy. In this mini-review, we explore OCSC-derived exosomes in oral cancer, examining their potential as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers that reflect CSC characteristics, and delve into their therapeutic implications, emphasizing their roles in tumor progression and therapy resistance. However, despite their promising potential, several challenges remain, including the need to standardize isolation and characterization methods and to elucidate exosome-mediated mechanisms. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of OCSC-EVs could pave the way for innovative therapeutic strategies that have the potential to improve clinical outcomes for OC patients.