Unlocking the Potentials of Single Extracellular Vesicle Analysis Technologies for Early Detection of Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is an aggressive malignancy and remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Although imaging modalities remain central to clinical practice, they rarely detect disease at the stage when curative intervention is possible. Recently, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been increasingly recognized for their potential in biomedical applications, particularly as biomarkers for liquid biopsies. However, conventional bulk analyzes average signals across heterogeneous vesicle populations, obscuring the contribution of rare tumor-derived EVs that could serve as critical indicators of the early stages of cancer. Single EV analysis (sEVA) technologies have emerged to address this challenge by enabling high-resolution characterization of individual vesicles, enhancing analytical sensitivity, and offering strong potential for clinical translation. In this review, we focus on the emerging role of sEVA technologies in reshaping liquid biopsy-based early detection and clinical management of PC. By integrating recent advances in EV biomarker development and current sEVA technologies, this review outlines a translational strategy for integrating sEVA into PC early detection frameworks and the key barriers to clinical implementation.