Recent developments in electrochemical sensors for anticancer drugs analysis: Nanostructured innovations

Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is very crucial for improving treatment outcomes because anti-cancer drugs have narrow therapeutic windows and their effects vary from individual to individual. Traditional analytical techniques are hampered by their high cost and limited suitability for rapid or point-of-care analysis, regardless of their sensitivity. This review discusses a nanomaterial-enhanced electrochemical sensing framework for the highly selective and sensitive detection of anti-cancer drugs in biological fluids. The engineered electrodes exhibit enhanced electron-transfer kinetics, increased surface reactivity, and improved antifouling properties by integrating carbon nanomaterials, metal/metal oxide nanoparticles, and ionic liquids. Characteristics like broad linear ranges, remarkable stability, and ultralow detection limit enable the accurate measurement of drugs including dasatinib (DAS), flutamide (FLUT), thiopurines, and doxorubicin (DOX). High recovery and minimal sample preparation are demonstrated by real sample analysis in serum and urine. Overall, this study emphasizes the revolutionary potential of nanomaterial-enhanced electrochemical sensors as beneficial, versatile platforms for TDM.