Biosensors for liquid biopsy of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive neoplasms, characterized by very high mortality and low survival rates. Patients are usually diagnosed at an advanced stage, not being eligible for curative surgery, leading to poor clinical outcomes. Late diagnosis happens mainly due to lack of typical symptoms in treatable early stages. Thus, screening and early detection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma are crucial for improving its prognosis. Traditional methods for diagnosing pancreatic cancer include ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and endoscopic ultrasonography, however they are inappropriate for screening asymptomatic patients because of their high cost, invasiveness and/or associated clinical risks. As an alternative, biosensors are being proposed as sensitive, specific, and cost-effective devices capable of providing quick responses in non-invasive tests. This review discusses recent articles on the use of biosensors for early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, focusing primarily on liquid biopsies, as well as current limitations and future perspectives in the field.