Optical biopsy for thyroid cancer: label-free diagnosis and subtyping via terahertz metasensor

Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy provides a rapid, label-free, and non-destructive alternative to conventional histopathology for tumor subtyping. Here, we present a novel metasurface-based THz biosensor for analyzing thyroid tumors. This work pioneers the integration of paraffin-embedded sections with a metasurface platform, enabling in situ, label-free detection. This approach allows clear differentiation between benign and malignant tumors, as well as accurate identification of malignant subtypes, based solely on intrinsic transmission spectral features without the need for biomarkers or staining. By circumventing conventional labeling, this method streamlines the diagnostic process for greater speed and convenience.