Exosomes and Head and Neck Cancers: Can They Be Connected?

Hanafy, Ahmed; Mahmoud, Momen Mohammed; Morkos, Abanoub; Emad, Dina; Hafed, Layla; Soliman, Aliaa Shaban; Al Bahrawey, Sherif; Ibrahim, Sally

doi:10.21608/erurj.2025.290892.1146

Exosomes and Head and Neck Cancers: Can They Be Connected?

Document Type : Review article

Authors

¹ Oral biology Department , Faculty of dentistry, Egyptian Russian University , Cairo , Egypt.

² Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt

³ Oral and maxillofacial surgery, faculty of dentistry, fayoum University.

⁴ Assistant Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Faculty of Dentistry, Saba University, Sana’a, Yemen

⁵ associate professor of oral and maxillofacial pathology, faculty of dentistry, Fayoum university, Egypt

10.21608/erurj.2025.290892.1146

Abstract

Introduction: Exosomes are extracellular microvesicles which are bound by a membrane , tiny, and have endocytic origins. Exosomes range in size from 30 to 150 nm and are rich in bioactive substances like metabolites, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Review of literature: Exosomal miRNAs have the potential to serve as diagnostic biomarkers for a variety of malignancies, immunological responses, cell proliferation, tumor metastasis, tumor growth, and cell apoptosis. Exosomes have been connected to cancer progression, viral pathogenicity, immunological responses, and illnesses of the central nervous system. Exosome's properties are influenced by their lipid and protein content, and exosome's natural makeup may help them be more bioavailable and have fewer negative consequences. Conclusion: Exosomes are strongly associated to cancer diagnosis, tumor growth/metastasis and treatment of different head and neck cancers. Recommendations: multicomponent analysis of exosomes may be carried out for better understanding of their role in cancer progression and treatment response.

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