The Current Landscape of Exosome-Based Strategies for Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis: From Mechanistic Insights to Therapeutic Potential.
- 1Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Shaoxing People's Hospital, Shaoxing, People's Republic of China.
- 2Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Shaoxing University, Shaoxing, People's Republic of China.
- 3Department of Medical Research Center, Shaoxing People's Hospital, Shaoxing, People's Republic of China.
Abstract
Breast cancer is a common malignancy affecting women. Brain metastasis is a serious late-stage complication associated with high incidence and poor prognosis, particularly in patients with triple-negative and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) -positive breast cancer. Currently, surgery and radiotherapy are the primary treatment options for breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM). However, the effectiveness of conventional chemotherapy and immunotherapy is limited by the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the complex tumor microenvironment, and effective therapeutic strategies remain limited. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles with diameters of 30-150 nm that mediate intercellular communication by transporting active molecules such as proteins and nucleic acids. They play crucial roles in tumor development, progression, and metastasis. Preclinical studies have demonstrated that exosomes promote BCBM through various mechanisms, including BBB remodeling to facilitate tumor cell transmigration, initiation of the pre-metastatic microenvironment, and systemic immune escape mediated by exosomal PD-L1. Genetically or chemically engineered exosomes have demonstrated targeting and drug-delivery potential in preclinical models, making them potential candidates for BCBM treatment. This review summarizes the clinical challenges associated with BCBM and the biological characteristics of exosomes and their mechanisms of action in brain metastasis. It also discusses the potential of exosomes as diagnostic markers, therapeutic targets, and drug delivery carriers, providing insights into future research and clinical translation, which remains challenging and requires further validation.
Related
- Natural Products and Their Derivatives in Cancer, Cardiovascular disease, and COVID-19: Mechanistic Insights, Formulation Strategies, and Therapeutic Potential
- Epigenetic plasticity in cancer drug resistance: mechanistic insights and strategies for therapeutic intervention
- Integrated multi-omics analysis reveals the molecular landscape and therapeutic strategies in Chinese cervical cancer patients
- Long non-coding RNAs in monocyte/macrophage-mediated immune dysregulation and organ injury in sepsis: mechanistic insights and therapeutic potential.
- Circular RNAs in Skeletal Muscle Aging and Sarcopenia: Mechanistic Evidence, Biomarker Potential, and Therapeutic Readiness
BibTeX
@article{jin2026current,
title = {{The Current Landscape of Exosome-Based Strategies for Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis: From Mechanistic Insights to Therapeutic Potential.}},
author = {Shuxun Jin and Yuancong Jiang and Liwei Meng and Nanwei Ye and Jie Qiu and Juan Lin},
journal = {International journal of nanomedicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.2147/ijn.s642155},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953413},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The Current Landscape of Exosome-Based Strategies for Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis: From Mechanistic Insights to Therapeutic Potential.
AU - Shuxun Jin
AU - Yuancong Jiang
AU - Liwei Meng
AU - Nanwei Ye
AU - Jie Qiu
AU - Juan Lin
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/24
JO - International journal of nanomedicine
DO - 10.2147/ijn.s642155
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953413
AB - Breast cancer is a common malignancy affecting women. Brain metastasis is a serious late-stage complication associated with high incidence and poor prognosis, particularly in patients with triple-negative and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) -positive breast cancer. Currently, surgery and radiotherapy are the primary treatment options for breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM). However, the effectiveness of conventional chemotherapy and immunotherapy is limited by the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the complex tumor microenvironment, and effective therapeutic strategies remain limited. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles with diameters of 30-150 nm that mediate intercellular communication by transporting active molecules such as proteins and nucleic acids. They play crucial roles in tumor development, progression, and metastasis. Preclinical studies have demonstrated that exosomes promote BCBM through various mechanisms, including BBB remodeling to facilitate tumor cell transmigration, initiation of the pre-metastatic microenvironment, and systemic immune escape mediated by exosomal PD-L1. Genetically or chemically engineered exosomes have demonstrated targeting and drug-delivery potential in preclinical models, making them potential candidates for BCBM treatment. This review summarizes the clinical challenges associated with BCBM and the biological characteristics of exosomes and their mechanisms of action in brain metastasis. It also discusses the potential of exosomes as diagnostic markers, therapeutic targets, and drug delivery carriers, providing insights into future research and clinical translation, which remains challenging and requires further validation.
SN - 1176-9114
SN - 1178-2013
ER -