Prostate cancer (PCa) often manifests insidiously, with most patients being diagnosed at an advanced stage, leading to a poor prognosis. Early detection of PCa can significantly prolong overall survival by impeding the progression of metastasis. A commonly utilized screening method for detecting PCa is the prostate-specific antigen test. However, since the prostate-specific antigen lacks specificity and sensitivity for PCa identification, there is a paramount urgency to develop precise diagnostic biomarkers for early detection. Extracellular vesicles, known as exosomes, are released by cells into body fluids. Exosomes derived from cancer cells can carry genetic information about the tumor, including DNA, RNA, and proteins, which play crucial roles in tumor initiation, invasion, metastasis, and drug resistance. Studies have indicated that exosomes (including messenger RNAs, microRNAs, long noncoding RNAs and others) can enhance the sensitivity and specificity of PCa diagnosis, indicating their potential for early detection. This review highlights the biological characteristics and functions of exosomes, as well as recent advancements in their use for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of prostate cancer.

BUFFALO, NY — May 22, 2025 — A new review was published in Volume 12 of Oncoscience on May 8, 2025, titled “The chemopreventive effects of native Brazilian plants on stomach cancer: A review of the last 25 years.”

Sriram Gubbi, M.D., won the Endocrine Society’s 2025 Endocrine Images Art Competition with his microphotograph of follicular thyroid carcinoma cells titled “The Cosmic Bubble”.

A new combination therapy that pairs a radiopharmaceutical (¹⁷⁷Lu-DOTATATE) with a DNA-repair blocker (olaparib) has been deemed feasible and tolerable for neuroendocrine cancer patients. The combined therapy works by preventing cancer cells from repairing themselves after targeted treatment and has the potential to help patients achieve longer-lasting disease control. This research was published in the May issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

Tumour cells in colorectal cancer exploit an important signalling pathway that normally controls embryo development. Researchers have now shown how a protein that controls the development of the arms and heart contributes to making colorectal cancer cells more aggressive and likely to spread. By understanding these mechanisms, researchers can find ways to fight cancer without damaging vital stem cells. The study, led by researchers at Linköping University in Sweden, has been published in the journal PNAS.

Researchers from the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, developed a tumor-microvessel  on-a-chip system and demonstrated that clusters of circulating tumor cells, after detaching from primary tumors, disrupt blood-vessel walls by inducing endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition. The clusters then enter the bloodstream and establish distal metastases. Targeting the ability of these clusters to disperse could help treat patients with advanced metastatic cancer.

An artificial intelligence technique for detecting DNA fragments shed by tumors and circulating in a patient’s blood, developed by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center investigators, could help clinicians more quickly identify and determine if pancreatic cancer therapies are working.