High-sensitivity photonic crystal resonator for optical detection of cancer cells (Basal, HeLa and MDA-MB-231) based on refractive index variations

Cancer remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, highlighting urgent need for early and accurate detection techniques. We propose a two-dimensional photonic crystal sensor incorporating a diamond-shaped resonator with a cell-like cavity formed by dielectric rods embedded in air to detect cancer cells. The structure was analyzed using Finite Element Method via COMSOL Multiphysics to investigate response to different biological media. Three cell lines Basal skin cancer HeLa cervical cancer and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer in both normal and cancerous states. Key parameters including refractive index electric field distribution total energy density normalized power flux and transmission were evaluated. The results show a significant redshift in resonance wavelengths and an increase in quality factor for cancerous cells. The MDA-MB-231 cancer cell exhibited the highest sensitivity 179 nm per RIU and the lowest detection limit 5.6 × 10−4 RIU confirming the proposed sensor. The study demonstrates a compact high-sensitivity platform for non-invasive early cancer detection.