Tumor-educated platelet, a potential liquid biopsy biosource in pancreatic cancer: A review

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a frequent and aggressive digestive system cancer with a very poor prognosis. The best chance for recovery lies in early surgical removal of the tumor. Unfortunately, because PC often develops without noticeable symptoms, diagnosis is frequently delayed. Limited treatment options, the metastasis potential of pancreatic cancer cells, and its generally poor prognosis mean that patients are often diagnosed late, significantly reducing the effectiveness of treatment. Consequently, there's a critical need for new biomarkers and technologies to improve early detection through screening. Recently, the liquid biopsy has developed as a powerful means for detecting and monitoring cancer at the molecular level. Its advantages include the ease and non-invasive nature of sample collection and its ability to reflect the dynamic changes within a tumor. Platelets, the second most numerous type of blood cell, offer a particularly promising source for liquid biopsy. It is known that cancer affects various aspects of platelets, including their number, size, activation state, and the proteins and RNA they contain. However, the full implications of these changes for cancer detection have not yet been fully integrated into routine clinical practice. Platelets have a unique ability to captivate nucleic acids and proteins from their surroundings, and they alter their transcriptome in response to external signals. This leads to the development of tumor-educated platelets (TEPs). Liquid biopsies that utilize TEP biomarkers hold considerable potential for screening, early detection, prognosis, guiding personalized treatment strategies, ongoing monitoring of the disease, and predicting recurrence. Encouraging results from preclinical studies have highlighted the potential of platelets as a novel liquid biopsy source for a wide range of cancers. This review will explore the potential of using platelets as a liquid biopsy method, specifically for pancreatic cancer.

Keywords: Biomarker; Diagnosis; Liquid biopsy; Pancreatic cancer; Tumor-educated platelets.