Review of Advanced Devices for Skin Cancer Detection

Sensors and microfluidic devices are increasingly influencing modern healthcare by enabling rapid, portable, and cost-effective diagnostic technologies. Their high sensitivity, selectivity, and ease of use make them promising tools for early disease detection. Skin cancer, particularly melanoma, is one of the most aggressive dermatologic malignancies, and early diagnosis is critical for improving patient survival. Conventional diagnostic approaches typically rely on visual examination, dermoscopy, and histopathological analysis, which often require specialized expertise and laboratory infrastructure. Recent advances in sensing technologies and microfluidic platforms have enabled the development of portable devices for noninvasive or minimally invasive skin cancer detection. These systems can identify physical and biochemical changes associated with malignant lesions, including dielectric contrasts in tissue and cancer-related biomarkers in biological samples. This review summarizes recent progress in sensor-based and microfluidic technologies for skin cancer detection, focusing on sensing principles, device architectures, fabrication strategies, and representative applications in melanoma diagnostics. In addition, we provide a structured comparison of representative platforms, including their targets, readout mechanisms, analytical performance, and development stages. Key translational challenges, such as variability in real-world skin measurements, clinical validation requirements, and regulatory considerations, are also discussed. Overall, this review provides an up - to - date overview and insights for next-generation diagnostic tools.