Recent advances in electrochemical sensors for the detection of anticancer drugs.

The incidence and mortality rates of cancer are rapidly increasing worldwide. As the global population grows and ages, cancer has become a leading cause of death, partly due to significant reductions in mortality rates from stroke and coronary heart disease in many countries. Despite significant advances in cancer therapy, there is a substantial interest in developing new anticancer agents with different mechanisms of action, as cancer cells have developed resistance to current treatments. Noteworthy anticancer agents in this category include doxorubicin, 5-fluorouracil, and methotrexate among others. There has been a concerted effort to develop rapid, sensitive, and non-destructive methods for detecting the effects and mechanisms of anticancer drugs both in vitro and in vivo. Currently, methods such as mass spectrometry-based liquid chromatography (LC-MS), capillary electrophoresis (CE), and mass spectrometry-based gas chromatography (GC-MS) are still widely used to study anticancer drugs. However, electroanalytical techniques have recently gained popularity due to their higher sensitivity, greater selectivity, eco-friendliness, shorter analysis time, and lower cost. These techniques are now frequently used to detect anticancer drugs. Identifying anticancer drugs at low concentrations and with high sensitivity is crucial for tracking these medications. In this study, we discuss the recent advances in electrochemical sensors for the detection of anticancer drugs between 2019 and 2024.