Non-coding RNAs in tumor-educated platelets: emerging roles in cancer progression, biomarker discovery, and therapeutic targeting

Abstract

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in tumor-educated platelets (TEPs) play an important role in cancer progression. Tumor cells can “educate” platelets, thereby enabling them to participate in multiple stages of tumor development and progression. The ncRNAs carried by TEPs, including microRNAs (miRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), may regulate tumor cell behavior and influence processes such as proliferation, invasion, metastasis, immune regulation, and angiogenesis. Alterations in the expression profiles of these ncRNAs may provide potential biomarkers for early cancer diagnosis, prognosis assessment and treatment monitoring. They may also offer new opportunities for therapeutic intervention. This review summarizes the mechanisms of platelet education by tumor cells, the roles of TEPs in cancer progression, and the functional significance of ncRNAs in TEPs, with particular focus on their contributions to tumor development and progression, their biomarker potential, and their potential as therapeutic targets.