Early-Stage Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis: Serum Biomarkers and the Potential for Aptamer-Based Biosensors

Pancreatic cancer has a high mortality rate, and both the incidence and mortality are continuing to increase in many countries globally. The poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer is in part due to the challenges in early diagnosis. Improving early-stage pancreatic cancer diagnosis would improve survival outcomes. Aptamer-based biosensors provide an alternative technological approach for the analysis of serum biomarkers with several potential advantages. This review summarizes the major pancreatic cancer serum biomarkers, as well as discusses recent progress in biomarker exploration and aptasensor development. Here, we review both established and novel serum biomarkers identified recently, emphasizing their potential for early-stage pancreatic cancer diagnosis. We also propose strategies for further expanding multiplex biomarker panels beyond the established CA19-9 biomarker to enhance diagnostic performance. We discuss technological advancements in aptamer-based sensors for pancreatic cancer-related biomarkers over the last decade. Optical and electrochemical sensors are highlighted as two primary modalities in aptasensor design, each offering unique advantages. Finally, we propose steps towards clinical application using aptamer-based sensors with multiplexed biomarker detection for improved pancreatic cancer diagnostics.