{"ID":2824401,"CreatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","UpdatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","DeletedAt":null,"paper_url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.23555","arxiv_id":"2512.23555","title":"Physical Limits of Proximal Tumor Detection via MAGE-A Extracellular Vesicles","abstract":"Early cancer detection relies on invasive tissue biopsies or liquid biopsies limited by biomarker dilution. In contrast, tumour-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) carrying biomarkers like melanoma-associated antigen-A (MAGE-A) are highly concentrated in the peri-tumoral interstitial space, offering a promising near-field target. However, at micrometre scales, EV transport is governed by stochastic diffusion in a low copy number regime, increasing the risk of false negatives. We theoretically assess the feasibility of a smart-needle sensor detecting MAGE-A-positive microvesicles near a tumour. We use a hybrid framework combining particle-based Brownian dynamics (Smoldyn) to quantify stochastic arrival and false negative probabilities, and a reaction-diffusion PDE for mean concentration profiles. Formulating detection as a threshold-based binary hypothesis test, we find a maximum feasible detection radius of approximately 275 micrometers for a 6000 s sensing window. These results outline the physical limits of proximal EV-based detection and inform the design of minimally invasive peri-tumoral sensors.","short_abstract":"Early cancer detection relies on invasive tissue biopsies or liquid biopsies limited by biomarker dilution. In contrast, tumour-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) carrying biomarkers like melanoma-associated antigen-A (MAGE-A) are highly concentrated in the peri-tumoral interstitial space, offering a promising near-f...","url_abs":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.23555","url_pdf":"https://arxiv.org/pdf/2512.23555v1","authors":"[\"A. Sila Okcu\",\"M. Etem Bas\",\"Ozgur B. Akan\"]","published":"2025-12-29T15:50:53Z","proceeding":"physics.med-ph","tasks":"[\"physics.med-ph\",\"eess.SP\"]","methods":"[\"Diffusion Model\"]","has_code":false}