Microfluidic paper-based analytical devices for cancer diagnosis

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Early diagnosis of cancer is crucial for successful treatment which, in turn, will decrease mortality. The development of low-cost, accurate, and easy to operate point-of-need (PON) devices to be used for cancer diagnosis and treatment follow-up is a worldwide need, especially in developing countries. Paper-based analytical devices (PADs) are considered a key solution, as they provide a low-cost platform for developing PON biosensors for cancer biomarker detections. There are various types of 2D and 3D PADs according to the type of paper substrate (filter paper, chromatographic paper, nitrocellulose membranes, etc.), fabrication method (wax printing, screen printing, cutting, etc.), detection technique used (colorimetry, fluorescence, chemiluminescence, electrochemiluminescence, electrochemical, etc.), the assay principle and recognition element used (antibodies, aptamers, DNA, nanoparticles, enzymes, etc.). Controlling all these factors determines the performance, accuracy, and sensitivity of the developed devices. This review discusses all these factors in the different PADs used for detection of cancer biomarkers and summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of each one.