Exosomal Long Noncoding RNAs in NSCLC: Dysfunctions and Clinical Potential

Exosomes are a typical subset of extracellular vesicles (EVs) that can be transmitted from parent cells to recipient cells via human bodily fluids. Exosomes perform a vital role in mediating intercellular communication by shuttling bioactive cargos, such as nucleic acids, proteins and lipids. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides without protein translation ability and can be selectively packaged into exosomes. Accumulating evidence indicates that exosomal lncRNAs have a critical role in tumor initiation and progression through regulating tumor proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis, treatment resistance and tumor microenvironment. Increasing studies suggest that exosomal lncRNAs have great potential to be served as novel targets and non-invasive biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this review, we provide an overview of current research on the disordered functions of exosomal lncRNAs in NSCLC and summarize their potential clinical applications as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for NSCLC.