Biomedical and clinical applications of immunoassays and immunosensors for tumor markers

Cancer is one of the most threatening diseases for human beings. The detection of tumor biomarkers, including serum tumor markers and potential prognostic factors for tumors, plays an important role in clinical diagnoses and evaluation of treatment for patients with certain tumor-associated diseases. Many immunoassay methods and immunosensors are being developed for detection of tumor-related biomarkers. This review summarizes the state of immunoassay technologies for tumor diagnostics. It also focuses on a growing number of applications and progress in immunosensors for tumor markers. It covers the basic principles and biomedical and clinical applications of immunosensors, and indicates the future prospects in this field.