Surviving, Striving, Thriving: Exploring Extracellular Vesicles as Key Drivers of Cancer Cell Survival, Resistance and Relapse

Dear Colleagues,

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanosized lipid membrane-enclosed vesicles that mediate intercellular signaling to coordinate the most complex physiological processes. Unsurprisingly, EV signaling networks are consistently transformed through the carcinogenesis process. Indeed, there is accumulating evidence strongly suggestive of the notion that cancers’ modus operandi for thriving are highly reliant on EV-mediated intercellular communication. Contrary to the once-prevalent dogma of “drug resistance by cancer genetics”, it has now become apparent that, for most cases, drug resistance seems to emerge from non-genetic changes at the tumor microenvironment. Importantly, these advantageous non-genetic features are conferred by EVs—occurring both in tumor and stromal cells—and enable cancer cells to adapt, survive drug exposure, relapse and metastasize later. Most interestingly, this EV dependency hallmark of cancer cells seems to hold true for many (if not all) human solid and liquid malignancies.

Thus, a timely and comprehensive understanding of how cancer-associated EVs enables tumor initiation, progression, drug resistance and relapse is instrumental for the development of innovative approaches that can have a transformative impact on both the early diagnosis and outcome of cancer treatment.

We invite you to contribute original research, technical notes, methods papers, and/or reviews to this Special Issue of “Surviving, Striving, Thriving: Exploring Extracellular Vesicles as Key Drivers of Cancer Cell Survival, Resistance and Relapse”. Papers that cover advances in the methods of cancer-associated EV isolation, analysis of the role of these vesicles in perpetuating cancer hallmarks, as well as their implementation both in basic research and the translational field of cancer biomarkers will be enthusiastically received by our readership. This Special Issue will aim to highlight significant advancements in understanding the intricate EV signaling networks that enable cancer cells to thrive, even under most adverse therapeutic pressure.

Dr. Hugo Ronaldo Freitas Caires
Guest Editor

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• extracellular vesicles

• cancer hallmarks
• tumor microenvironment
• drug resistance
• biomarkers
• solid & hematologic malignancies