REVIEW article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Gastrointestinal Cancers: Colorectal Cancer
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1581015
This article is part of the Research TopicExtracellular Vesicles in Cancer Research: A New Era for Therapeutic InterventionsView all 6 articles
Advances in Extracellular Vesicle (EV) Biomarkers for Precision Diagnosis and Therapeutic in Colorectal Cancer
Provisionally accepted
- 1School of Life Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310053, China, zhejiang Hangzhou, China
- 2Jiaxing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine，Zhejiang Chinese Medical University，Jiaxing, Zhejiang 314001, China, zhejiang jiaxing, China
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Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide and one of the most frequently diagnosed malignancies. Conventional CRC screening techniques-such as colonoscopy and pathologic biopsy-are invasive procedures that often cause patient discomfort and carry risks of complications. Recently, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have gained prominence as a promising area of investigation in oncology research. EVs are nanoscale, membrane-bound particles secreted by cells, which encapsulate and protect nucleic acids, proteins, and other biomolecules within their phospholipid bilayer structure. This protective characteristic renders EVs highly suitable as non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers for CRC, as well as efficient nanocarriers for targeted drug delivery vehicles. This review examines the functional roles, regulation mechanisms, and translational potential of EVs in CRC. Specifically, it investigates how EVs drive CRC pathogenesis through tumour microenvironment remodelling, immune suppression, and metastatic dissemination. Additionally, the review examines relevant methodologies for EV sample collection, isolation, and detection, which are critical for translating EV-based diagnostics and therapeutics into clinical practice. In conclusion, EVs represent a transformative approach in CRC research, offering non-invasive diagnostic tools and innovative therapeutic strategies. By integrating advanced methodologies and elucidating the regulatory mechanisms of EVs, this review provides valuable insights for advancing precision medicine in CRC, ultimately improving patient outcomes and reducing the global burden of this disease.
Keywords: colorectal cancer, extracellular vesicles, biomarkers, Precision diagnosis, Treatment
Received: 21 Feb 2025; Accepted: 26 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Shen and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Hui Shen, Jiaxing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine，Zhejiang Chinese Medical University，Jiaxing, Zhejiang 314001, China, zhejiang jiaxing, China
Nenghua Zhang, Jiaxing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine，Zhejiang Chinese Medical University，Jiaxing, Zhejiang 314001, China, zhejiang jiaxing, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.