Exosomes Derived from Breast Cancer Cells, Small Trojan Horses?

Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles secreted to the extracellular environment by several cell types, including tumor cells. It has been demonstrated that exosomes have an important role in intercellular communication, but they have recently been implicated in various tumor processes, including the oncogenic transformation of cells in the tumor microenvironment, tumor drug resistance, and the transport of tumor factors. Tumors appear to use exosomes to dialogue with and transform neighboring cells to create an ideal environment for their growth and expansion. On the other hand, the structure and function of exosomes may make them useful in cancer diagnosis and prognosis, because they contain molecules that could serve as biomarkers, including oncogenes, miRNAs, and certain proteins. They have the ability to travel via body fluids, from which they could be isolated and used to transport drugs to specific targets. This review aims to provide an update on the role of exosomes derived from breast cancer cells.