Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42472816›Full record

ReviewCancer cell international2026

Exosomes in cancer drug resistance: dual roles in therapy failure and emerging precision therapeutics.

Bantayehu Addis Tegegne, Habtamu Belew, Zigale Hibstu Teffera, Mekuriaw Belayneh, Desalegn Abebaw, Misganaw Fikrie, Mohammed Jemal, Temesgen Baylie, Fasil Tadesse, Samuel Agegnew Wondm and 2 more

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Cancer cell international, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Bantayehu Addis TegegneDepartment of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Science, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia. bantayehuaddis.90@gmail.com.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6178-8335
Habtamu BelewDepartment of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Medicine and Health Science, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia.
Zigale Hibstu TefferaDepartment of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Medicine and Health Science, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia.
Mekuriaw BelaynehDepartment of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Medicine and Health Science, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia.
Desalegn AbebawDepartment of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Medicine and Health Science, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia.
Misganaw FikrieDepartment of Midwifery, College of Medicine and Health Science, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia.
Mohammed JemalDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia.
Temesgen BaylieDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia.
Fasil TadesseDepartment of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Science, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia.
Samuel Agegnew WondmPharmacy Education and Clinical Service Directorate, College of Health Sciences, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia.
Tirsit Ketsela ZelekeDepartment of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Science, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia.
Wubetu Yihunie BelayDepartment of Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Science, Debre Markos University, Debre Markos, Ethiopia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Exosomes play a key role in cancer, functioning both as drivers of drug resistance and as tools for therapy. Tumor-derived exosomes facilitate intercellular communication through selective transfer of bioactive cargo, including proteins (e.g., P-gp, PD-L1), nucleic acids (e.g., miR-21, lncRNA H19), lipids, and metabolites. These cargos remodel the tumor microenvironment, activate oncogenic pathways such as PI3K/AKT and MAPK, and promote drug resistance, immune evasion, and metabolic reprogramming. This work presents a conceptually integrated translational perspective, introducing the 'exosome paradox' to unify the dual roles of exosomes in therapy resistance and therapeutic application. The review incorporates cancer-specific insights, highlighting how resistance mechanisms vary across pancreatic, breast, lung, colorectal, and ovarian cancers, underscoring the need for context-dependent strategies. Mechanistically, we integrate emerging advances in exosome heterogeneity, selective cargo loading (including SUMOylation-dependent pathways), and the metabolic-epigenetic interface, particularly the lactate-lactylation axis. We also explore the growing role of artificial intelligence in biomarker discovery, cargo profiling, and rational design of engineered exosomes. Therapeutically, two complementary strategies are emphasized: inhibition of pathogenic exosome biogenesis, secretion, and uptake, and development of engineered exosomes as delivery vehicles for chemotherapeutics, RNA-based therapies, and CRISPR/Cas9 systems. Despite promising preclinical advances, clinical translation remains limited by challenges in targeting specificity, pharmacokinetics, scalable manufacturing, and regulatory standardization. This review provides a unified framework combining suppression of pathogenic exosome signaling with strategic engineering of therapeutic exosomes, offering new directions for overcoming drug resistance and advancing precision oncology.

Indexed as

Artificial intelligence in oncologyCancer drug resistanceExosome-based therapeuticsExosome paradoxPrecision oncologyTumor-derived exosomes

Identifiers

PMID42472816
PMCPMC13663065

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.