Fig. 1

Exosomes as a new target for liquid biopsy. Exosomes are enriched in body fluids and are critically involved in tumorigenesis, tumor progression and metastasis. Compared with CTC and ctDNA, exosomes show superior characteristics such as living-cell secreted vesicles, large amounts and stable circulation. Traditional and advanced technologies have been used to separate exosomes from various body fluids and to detect exosomal cargoes. The detection of specific molecules of exosome may provide a new strategy for cancer diagnosis, progression monitoring, and prognosis prediction