Potential roles of exosome non-coding RNAs in cancer chemoresistance

Multiple studies have demonstrated chemoresistance in multiple types of tumor, which limits the effectiveness of cancer treatments. Chemoresistance often contributes to cancer relapse. Non-coding RNAs, are a group of regulatory RNAs, that are involved in tumor drug resistance. Exosomes, membranous vesicles secreted by cells, are reported to mediate cell-to-cell communication, including in cancer. Furthermore, exosomal non-coding RNAs have been reported to mediate chemoresistance via exchange of biological information. In the present review, the main roles of exosomal non-coding RNAs, including micro(mi) RNAs, long non-coding (lnc) RNAs, and circular (circ) RNAs in cancer are described and their potential roles in chemoresistance in various types of cancer are also discussed.