Exosomes play essential roles in intercellular communications. The exosome was discovered in 1983, when it was found that reticulocytes release 50-nm small vesicles carrying transferrin receptors into the extracellular space. Since then, our understanding of the mechanism and function of the exosome has expanded exponentially that has transformed our perspective of inter-cellular exchanges and the molecular mechanisms that underlie disease progression. Cancer cells generally produce more exosomes than normal cells, and exosomes derived from cancer cells have a strong capacity to modify both local and distant microenvironments. In this review, we summarize the functions of exosomes in cancer development, metastasis, and anti-tumor or pro-tumor immunity, plus their application in cancer treatment and diagnosis/prognosis. Although the exosome field has rapidly advanced, we still do not fully understand the regulation and function of exosomes in detail and still face many challenges in their clinical application. Continued discoveries in this field will bring novel insights on intercellular communications involved in various biological functions and disease progression, thus empowering us to effectively tackle accompanying clinical challenges.

中文翻译：

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外来体在癌症发展，转移和免疫中的作用。

外泌体在细胞间通讯中起重要作用。外泌体是在1983年发现的，当时发现网织细胞将携带运铁蛋白受体的50 nm小囊泡释放到细胞外空间。从那时起，我们对外泌体机制和功能的理解呈指数级增长，这改变了我们对细胞间交换和疾病发展基础分子机制的认识。癌细胞通常比正常细胞产生更多的外泌体，并且衍生自癌细胞的外泌体具有强大的修饰局部和远距离微环境的能力。在这篇综述中，我们总结了外泌体在癌症发展，转移，抗肿瘤或促肿瘤免疫中的功能，以及它们在癌症治疗和诊断/预后中的应用。尽管外泌体领域发展迅速，但我们仍未完全了解外泌体的调节和功能，在其临床应用中仍面临许多挑战。在该领域的不断发现将为涉及多种生物学功能和疾病进展的细胞间通讯带来新的见解，从而使我们能够有效应对伴随的临床挑战。