Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Methodol. Mar 20, 2024; 14(1): 90624
Published online Mar 20, 2024. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v14.i1.90624
Pivotal role of exosomes in diagnosis and treatment of esophageal cancer in a new era of precision medicine
Grigorios Christodoulidis, Konstantinos Eleftherios Koumarelas, Marina Nektaria Kouliou
Grigorios Christodoulidis, Konstantinos Eleftherios Koumarelas, Marina Nektaria Kouliou, Department of General Surgery, University Hospital of Larissa, Larissa 41110, Greece
Author contributions: Christodoulidis G, Konstantinos-Eleftherios K, and Marina-Nektaria K contributed to the preparation of this paper; Christodoulidis G designed the overall concept and outline of the manuscript; Christodoulidis G, Konstantinos-Eleftherios K, and Marina-Nektaria K contributed to the discussion and design of the manuscript; Christodoulidis G, Konstantinos-Eleftherios K, and Marina-Nektaria K contributed to the writing and editing the manuscript, and review of the literature.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Grigorios Christodoulidis, MD, PhD, Surgeon, Department of General Surgery, University Hospital of Larissa, Mezourlo, Larissa 41110, Greece. gregsurg@yahoo.gr
Received: December 8, 2023
Peer-review started: December 8, 2023
First decision: December 21, 2023
Revised: December 23, 2023
Accepted: January 17, 2024
Article in press: January 17, 2024
Published online: March 20, 2024
Processing time: 89 Days and 11.2 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: Esophageal cancer (EC) is a global health concern ranking seventh in incidence and sixth in mortality worldwide, with over 604000 new cases and 544000 deaths in 2020. Despite advancements in therapies, nearly half of EC patients experience distant metastasis or therapeutic resistance, resulting in a 5-year survival rate below 25%. Traditional screening methods are limited, necessitating the need for non-invasive alternatives. Liquid biopsy, particularly focusing on exosomes, emerges as a promising option for early EC detection. Exosomes, small vesicles for intercellular communication, carry diverse biomarkers and play a crucial role in tumorigenesis. Notably, exosomal microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and circular RNAs show potential as diagnostic and prognostic markers for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Beyond diagnosis, exosomes serve as effective delivery tools for therapeutic agents, exhibiting advantages in immunotherapy, gene therapy, and drug delivery, presenting a multifaceted approach in the battle against EC.