Exosomes and Exosomal microRNAs in Prostate Cancer Radiotherapy

Publication date: Available online 27 March 2017
Source:International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics
Author(s): Bijaya Malla, Kathrin Zaugg, Erik Vassella, Daniel M. Aebersold, Alan Dal Pra
Despite current risk stratification systems based on traditional clinico-pathological factors, many localized and locally advanced prostate cancers fail radical treatments (i.e. radical prostatectomy, radiotherapy with or without androgen deprivation therapy). Therefore, there is a pressing need for enhanced methods of disease stratification through novel prognostic and predictive tools that could reliably be applied in clinical practice. Exosomes are 50 nm – 150 nm small vesicles released by cancer cells that reflect genetic and non-genetic materials of parent cancer cells. Cancer cells might contain distinct sets of microRNA profiles, the expression of which might change due to stress such as radiation therapy. These alterations or distinctions in contents allow exosomes to be used as prognostic/predictive biomarkers as well as for monitoring of treatment response in cancer. Additionally, microRNAs have been shown to influence multiple processes in prostate tumorigenesis, including cell proliferation, induction of apoptosis, migration, oncogene inhibition, and radio-resistance. Thus, comparative exosomal microRNA profiling at different levels could help portray tumor aggressiveness and response to radiotherapy. Although technical challenges persist in exosome isolation and characterization, recent improvements in microRNA profiling have evolved towards in-depth analyses of the exosomal cargo and its functions. Herein, we review the role of exosomes and exosomal microRNAs in biological processes of prostate cancer progression and radiotherapy response with particular focus on the development of clinical assays for treatment personalization.



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