Plasma exosomal miR-30a-5p inversely correlates with DSG2 levels, predicting patient outcomes.<h4>Conclusion</h4>High-metastatic NPC cells can increase the metastatic potential of low-metastatic cells through exosome-transmitted miR-30a-5p, which is a valuable prognostic marker assessable via liquid biopsy. Here, DSG2 is linked to nasopharyngeal carcinoma.