Immune cell-derived microparticles in blood and peritoneal fluid of patients with peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer

Background: Peritoneal metastasis (PM) of gastric cancer (GC) origin is still associated with poor survival. Microparticles, small lipid-bilayer coated extracellular vesicles shed in the tumor microenvironment by immune and tumor cells, enhance tumor growth and metastatic potential of tumor cells by various mechanisms including the induction of an immunoregulatory microenvironment via degradation of ATP to its derivates ADP, AMP and adenosine by membrane-bound ectonucleotidases such as CD39. In this study, we explore the role of immune cell derived microparticles in GC derived PM.