Biological functions and clinical applications of exosomal long non-coding RNAs in cancer

Exosomes are extracellular vesicles secreted by donor cells, and one of the important roles of exosomes is intercellular communication. Exosomes contain proteins, lipids, DNA and RNA. The components exert their functions by modulating the cellular processes of recipient cells. Exosomal long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important components and play multiple roles in tumorigenesis and tumour development. In this review, we summarize the biological functions and clinical applications of exosomal lncRNAs in cancer. Exosomal lncRNAs regulate cell proliferation, metastasis, drug resistance and angiogenesis in human cancers. Since exosomal lncRNAs are associated with clinicopathological characteristics of cancer, these might be potentially useful biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of cancer. Exosomal lncRNAs participate in multiple processes of cancer progression, which makes them promising therapeutic targets for cancer treatment.