Platelets: The Emerging Clinical Diagnostics and Therapy Selection of Cancer Liquid Biopsies
Overview
Affiliations
Due to the inherent molecular heterogeneity of metastatic tumours and the dynamic evolution ability of tumour genomes, tumour tissues obtained through biopsy and other methods cannot capture all of the features of tumour genomes. A new diagnostic concept called "liquid biopsy" has received widespread attention in recent years. Liquid biopsy has changed the clinical practice of oncology and is widely used to guide targeted drug utilization, monitor disease progression and track drug resistance. The latest research subject in liquid biopsy is platelets. Platelets originate from multifunctional haematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow haematopoietic system. They are small cells from the cytoplasm of bone marrow megakaryocytes. Their main physiological functions are to participate in the processes of physiological haemostasis and coagulation. Tumour cells transfer biomolecules (such as RNA) to platelets through direct contact and release of exosomes, which changes the platelet precursor RNA. Under the stimulation of tumour cells and the tumour microenvironment, platelet precursor mRNA is spliced into mature RNA and converted into functional protein to respond to external stimuli, forming tumour-educated platelets (TEPs). The detection of TEPs in the peripheral blood of patients is expected to be used in clinical tumour diagnosis. This emerging liquid biopsy method can replace and supplement the current tumour detection methods. Further research on the role of platelets in tumour diagnosis will help provide a novel theoretical basis for clinical tumour diagnosis.
Prospects of liquid biopsy in the prognosis and clinical management of gastrointestinal cancers.
Mondal D, Shinde S, Sinha V, Dixit V, Paul S, Gupta R Front Mol Biosci. 2024; 11:1385238.
PMID: 38770216 PMC: 11103528. DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2024.1385238.
Emerging Role of Tumor-Educated Platelets as a New Liquid Biopsy Tool for Colorectal Cancer.
Razzaghi H, Khabbazpour M, Heidary Z, Heiat M, Shirzad Moghaddam Z, Derogar P Arch Iran Med. 2024; 26(8):447-454.
PMID: 38301107 PMC: 10685733. DOI: 10.34172/aim.2023.68.
Zhao H, Wang L, Fang C, Li C, Zhang L Front Oncol. 2023; 13:1272788.
PMID: 38090481 PMC: 10711619. DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1272788.
Liquid biopsy in ovarian cancer: advantages and limitations for prognosis and diagnosis.
Karimi F, Azadbakht O, Veisi A, Sabaghan M, Owjfard M, Kharazinejad E Med Oncol. 2023; 40(9):265.
PMID: 37561363 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-023-02128-0.
The therapeutic potential of exosomes in lung cancer.
Liang H, Zhang L, Zhao X, Rong J Cell Oncol (Dordr). 2023; 46(5):1181-1212.
PMID: 37365450 DOI: 10.1007/s13402-023-00815-8.