Emerging role of pancreatic stellate cell-derived extracellular vesicles in pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly aggressive cancer that is characterised by a prominent collagenous stromal reaction/desmoplasia surrounding tumour cells. Pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) are responsible for the production of this stroma and have been shown to facilitate PDAC progression. Recently, extracellular vesicles (EVs), in particular, small extracellular vesicles (exosomes) have been a topic of interest in the field of cancer research for their emerging roles in cancer progression and diagnosis. EVs act as a form of intercellular communication by carrying their molecular cargo from one cell to another, regulating functions of the recipient cells. Although the knowledge of the bi-directional interactions between the PSCs and cancer cells that promote disease progression has advanced significantly over the past decade, studies on PSC-derived EVs in PDAC are currently rather limited. This review provides an overview of PDAC, pancreatic stellate cells and their interactions with cancer cells, as well as the currently known role of extracellular vesicles derived from PSCs in PDAC progression.