Advancing Prostate Cancer Diagnostics: The Potential of Paper-Based Biosensors for Point-of-Care Testing

Document Type

Review

Publication Date

3-15-2026

Abstract

Prostate cancer remains one of the most frequently diagnosed malignancies among men and continues to be a major cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Early and accurate detection is crucial for improving patient survival and enabling timely and appropriate treatment. Although the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is widely used for screening, its limited specificity—particularly within the diagnostic “gray zone”—often results in unnecessary biopsies, overdiagnosis, and missed detection of early-stage disease. Consequently, growing attention has turned to novel biomarkers with greater sensitivity and specificity that can complement or even replace PSA in clinical settings. Recent advances in biosensor technology have facilitated the development of rapid, cost-effective, and portable diagnostic tools. Among them, paper-based biosensors have emerged as a promising platform due to their low fabrication cost, simplicity, biodegradability, and compatibility with point-of-care (POC) testing. These devices enable highly sensitive and quantitative detection, where performance largely depends on the selection and engineering of sensing materials. The integration of nanomaterials and surface modification strategies has further enhanced target recognition, signal transduction efficiency, and sensor stability. This review provides an overview of recent progress in biosensor platforms for prostate cancer detection. It emphasizes the potential of advanced materials to improve analytical performance, highlights promising biomarkers beyond PSA, and discusses the major challenges impeding clinical translation. Addressing these barriers will be crucial for enabling paper-based biosensors to transition from research prototypes to reliable, field-ready tools for early prostate cancer diagnosis and monitoring.

Publication Title

Clinica Chimica Acta

ISSN

00098981

DOI

10.1016/j.cca.2026.120872

Volume

584

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