In both men and women around the world, lung cancer accounts as the
principal cause of cancer-related death after breast cancer. Therefore, early detection of
the disease is a cardinal step in improving prognosis and survival of patients. Today, the
newly-defined microRNAs regulate about 30 to 60 percent of the gene expression.
Changes in microRNA Profiles are linked to numerous health conditions, making them
sophisticated biomarkers for timely, if not early, detection of cancer. Though evaluation
of microRNAs in real samples has proved to be rather challenging, which is largely
attributable to the unique characteristics of these molecules. Short length, sequence
similarity, and low concentration stand among the factors that define microRNAs.
Recently, diagnostic technologies with a focus on wide-scale point of care have recently
garnered attention as great candidates for early diagnosis of cancer. Electrochemical
nano-biosensors have recently garnered much attention as a molecular method,
showing great potential in terms of sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility, and last but
not least, adaptability to point-of-care testing. Application of nanoscale materials in
electrochemical devices as promising as it is, brings multiplexing potential for conducting
simultaneous evaluations on multiple cancer biomarkers. Thanks to their enthralling
properties, these materials can be used to improve the efficiency of cancer diagnostics,
offer more accurate predictions of prognosis, and monitor response to therapy in a more
efficacious way. This article presents a concise overview of recent advances in the
expeditiously evolving area of electrochemical biosensors for microRNA detection in
lung cancer.
Rapid point-of-care testing for epidermal growth factor receptor gene mutations in patients with lung cancer using cell-free DNA from cytology specimen supernatants
