Recent advances in selective photothermal therapy of tumor

Abstract

Photothermal therapy (PTT), which converts light energy to heat energy, has become a new research hotspot in cancer treatment. Although researchers have investigated various ways to improve the efficiency of tumor heat ablation to treat cancer, PTT may cause severe damage to normal tissue due to the systemic distribution of photothermal agents (PTAs) in the body and inaccurate laser exposure during treatment. To further improve the survival rate of cancer patients and reduce possible side effects on other parts of the body, it is still necessary to explore PTAs with high selectivity and precise treatment. In this review, we summarized strategies to improve the treatment selectivity of PTT, such as increasing the accumulation of PTAs at tumor sites and endowing PTAs with a self-regulating photothermal conversion function. The views and challenges of selective PTT were discussed, especially the prospects and challenges of their clinical applications.

Applications of the ROS-Responsive Thioketal Linker for the Production of Smart Nanomedicines

“…This non-invasive technique is based on selectively accumulating a photothermal agent (PTA) at the tumor site which can convert absorbed light energy to heat when irradiated. This process induces localized heat that leads to irreversible cell damage and consequent cell death at the tumor site [94,95]. Therefore, the selective accumulation of PTAs, enable selective thermo-induced toxicity in cancer cells with minimized damage to the surrounding healthy tissues [96].…”

The Role of Rosmarinic Acid on the Bioproduction of Gold Nanoparticles as Part of a Photothermal Approach for Breast Cancer Treatment

“…Among the novel therapies proposed for breast cancer, photothermal therapy (PTT) appears as a minimally invasive therapy with likely shorter recovery periods [ 17 , 18 ]. PTT is based on the induction of cancer cell local hyperthermia upon irradiation with a light source, which will then result in cell death that is, to a certain extent, tumor-selective, as tumor cells have limited ability to dissipate heat when compared to healthy cells [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ].…”

“…Among the novel therapies proposed for breast cancer, photothermal therapy (PTT) appears as a minimally invasive therapy with likely shorter recovery periods [ 17 , 18 ]. PTT is based on the induction of cancer cell local hyperthermia upon irradiation with a light source, which will then result in cell death that is, to a certain extent, tumor-selective, as tumor cells have limited ability to dissipate heat when compared to healthy cells [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. PTT efficacy depends on one hand on the heat generated locally and consequent possibility of inducing cancer cell hyperthermia (temperature ranging between 41–47 °C [ 21 , 23 ]), and on the other hand, on the ability of the light to reach the target tissues.…”

Design and Application of Near-Infrared Nanomaterial-Liposome Hybrid Nanocarriers for Cancer Photothermal Therapy

“…A greater variety of PTAs have been extensively developed based on small organic molecules (indocyanine green, IR780, and IR825) and inorganic nanomaterials, which are available in several excellent reviews [26][27][28]. Indocyanine green (ICG) is an NIR fluorescent dye that was approved by the FDA in 1959, which is also a promising PTA under in-depth preclinical and clinical investigation [29].…”