[Research progress in field-effect transistors-based detection of tumor marker carbohydrate antigens]

Tumor marker detection is crucial for improving patient survival rates and prognosis. Carbohydrate antigen (CA) is a commonly used serum tumor marker in clinical practice. Conventional detection methods suffer from limitations in sensitivity and convenience. Emerging field-effect transistor (FET) biosensors exhibit outstanding advantages including ultra-high sensitivity, label-free detection, real-time response, and ease of miniaturization and integration, providing a new approach for the efficient detection of carbohydrate antigens. Accordingly, this paper first reviews the clinical characteristics of carbohydrate antigens and the limitations of conventional detection methods, then introduces the structural types, working principles, and signal transduction mechanisms of FET biosensors, and focuses on the research progress of FET in the detection of three representative carbohydrate antigens: CA19-9, CA125, and CA15-3. On this basis, by comparing performance differences among various sensitive materials, device architectures, and biofunctionalization strategies, this paper systematically sorts out core challenges including insufficient material stability, weak anti-interference capability, difficulty in large-scale fabrication and clinical translation. Future development directions are discussed. This review aims to provide a reference for the application and clinical translation of FET biosensors in the early and accurate detection of tumors.