Cancer remains a global health challenge, necessitating continuous advancements in diagnostic and treatment strategies. This review focuses on the utility of non-invasive biomarkers in cancer diagnosis and treatment, their role in early detection, disease monitoring, and personalized therapeutic interventions. Through a systematic review of the literature, we identified 45 relevant studies that highlight the potential of these biomarkers across various cancer types, such as breast, prostate, lung, and colorectal cancers. The non-invasive biomarkers discussed include liquid biopsies, epigenetic markers, non-coding RNAs, exosomal cargo, and metabolites. Notably, liquid biopsies, particularly those based on circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA), have emerged as the most promising method for early, non-invasive cancer detection due to their ability to provide comprehensive genetic and epigenetic information from easily accessible blood samples. This review demonstrates how non-invasive biomarkers can facilitate early cancer detection, accurate subtyping, and tailored treatment strategies, thereby improving patient outcomes. It underscores the transformative potential of non-invasive biomarkers in oncology, highlighting their application for enhancing early detection, survival rates, and treatment precision in cancer care.Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42023474749 PROSPERO, identifier CRD42023474749.

Prostate cancer is a major cause of cancer-related deaths among men in Sub-Saharan Africa, where late-stage diagnoses are common due to limited access to affordable and sensitive diagnostic tools. Early detection is essential to improve survival and reduce the disease burden. This review explores the integration of epigenetic biomarkers and CRISPR-Cas12a technology as a transformative approach for early, non-invasive prostate cancer detection in resource-limited settings. Among the many complexities of cancer development, molecular dysregulation plays a critical role. Epigenetic modifications including DNA methylation, histone changes, and non-coding RNA expression have emerged as stable and specific biomarkers with significant potential for the early detection and characterisation of prostate carcinogenesis. However, their low concentration in body fluids poses a significant challenge for detection. CRISPR-Cas12a, renowned for its high specificity and sensitivity, offers a promising solution. When integrated with isothermal amplification and liquid biopsy techniques, it enables rapid, point-of-care diagnostics. This review proposes a CRISPR-Cas12a-based diagnostic pipeline for the detection of specific epigenetic markers in liquid biopsies that could be associated with prostate cancer. The adoption of this technology in Sub-Saharan Africa has the potential to significantly improve early diagnosis, reduce mortality, and promote health equity.

Prostate cancer is a major cause of cancer-related deaths among men in Sub-Saharan Africa, where late-stage diagnoses are common due to limited access to affordable and sensitive diagnostic tools. Early detection is essential to improve survival and reduce the disease burden. This review explores the integration of epigenetic biomarkers and CRISPR-Cas12a technology as a transformative approach for early, non-invasive prostate cancer detection in resource-limited settings. Among the many complexities of cancer development, molecular dysregulation plays a remarkable role, and epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation, histone changes, and non-coding RNA expression have emerged as stable and specific biomarkers with significant potential for the early detection and characterisation of prostate carcinogenesis. However, their low concentration in body fluids presents a detection challenge. CRISPR-Cas12a, known for its high specificity and sensitivity, offers a promising solution. When combined with isothermal amplification and liquid biopsy techniques, it enables rapid, low-cost, and point-of-care diagnostics. This review proposes a low-cost, CRISPR-Cas12a-based diagnostic pipeline for detecting prostate cancer-specific epigenetic markers in liquid biopsies. The implementation of this technology in Sub-Saharan Africa could significantly improve early diagnosis, reduce mortality, and advance health equity.