Transforming Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis: Conventional Methods, Challenges, and Future Innovations

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a well-known neoplasm that currently ranks seventh in cancer-related deaths worldwide and may occupy the second position by 2030. This cancer remains undetected until it reaches an advanced stage due to inaccessible positioning of the gland, delayed appearance of symptoms, and lack of specific biomarkers. Consequently, this results in low survival rates and high mortality. Here, in this review, we evaluate the necessity of screening and early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. We also discussed various diagnostic methods for diagnosis and current biomarkers recognized for pancreatic cancer for early identification of the cancer. The diagnostic methods categorized into invasive methods (biopsy and endoscopy ultrasound with fine needle biopsy, (EUS-FNB), and non-invasive methods like ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), next-generation sequencing (NGS), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and microarray are also highlighted with the application of biomarkers. These techniques are often costly, time-consuming, labor-intensive, require specialized facilities, and also lack onsite analysis capabilities. To make diagnosis easy and affordable biosensors offer a promising solution for early detection and better prognosis through liquid biopsy, enabling the cost-effective, and convenient detection of target analytes in blood, plasma, serum, urine, and saliva. Thus, biosensors could become a leading technology in clinical diagnostics.