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REVIEW article

Front. Oncol.

Sec. Pharmacology of Anti-Cancer Drugs

Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1607259

This article is part of the Research TopicAdvances in Intelligence or Nanomedicine-based Theranostics for CancersView all 3 articles

Synergistic Strategies in Photodynamic Combination Therapy for Cancer: Mechanisms, Nanotechnology, and Clinical Translation

Provisionally accepted
Fang  XieFang Xie1*Daohong  KanDaohong Kan1Rong  DingRong Ding1Huchuan  YangHuchuan Yang2Yuming  JiaYuming Jia1Kaijian  LeiKaijian Lei1Zhongming  WangZhongming Wang3Wei  ZhangWei Zhang3Chaokun  YangChaokun Yang1Zongjunlin  LiuZongjunlin Liu4
  • 1Second People’s Hospital of Yibin, Yibin, China
  • 2Xinjiang Medical University, Ürümqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Region, China
  • 3Gongxian Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yibin,Sichuan, China
  • 4The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT), a non-invasive and highly selective method for cancer treatment, has gained increasing attention due to its unique ability to activate a photosensitizer with near-infrared laser irradiation, generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inducing cytotoxic effects on tumors. However, PDT faces challenges such as the shallow penetration depth of the laser impacting treatment efficacy and the variability in ROS yield depending on various factors. Recent advancements in nanotechnology have paved the way for solutions, showing promising results in addressing these limitations. Therefore, there is rising interest in utilizing PDT in combination with other therapeutic modalities to enhance its anti-tumor efficacy. This review aims to compile relevant basic experiments and clinical studies on the principles, mechanisms, and various combination therapies of PDT, including with photothermal therapy, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. The findings from these studies consistently confirm that photodynamic combination therapy achieves a higher therapeutic index with lower side effects compared to the use of these modalities individually. The demonstrated synergistic effects and enhanced therapeutic outcomes in various studies underscore the need for additional research and development in this direction.

Keywords: Malignant tumor, combination therapy, Curative effect, Mechanism, imaging-guided

Received: 09 Apr 2025; Accepted: 08 Jul 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Xie, Kan, Ding, Yang, Jia, Lei, Wang, Zhang, Yang and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Fang Xie, Second People’s Hospital of Yibin, Yibin, China

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