The Multimodal Nanomaterials of Phototherapy for Tumor Treatment

Tumor is a multiple disease in aged people, which seriously threat their physical and mental health. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) as a novel tumor treatment method has been applied in clinic. However, the limited penetration depth of the excitation light and the hypoxic environment of the tumor limit its therapeutic effect. To breakthrough these two bottlenecks, multimodal nanomaterials that combined two or three therapeutic modalities into a single system were designed, which can significantly improve the effectiveness of tumor treatment. This review firstly summarized the nanomaterials that can mediate the combinations between PDT and other strategies, including photothermal therapy (PTT), chemodynamic therapy (CDT), gas therapy (GT), starvation therapy (ST), photoacidity therapy (PAT), and even the synergistic combination of PDT, PTT, and CDT. Furthermore, the advantages and disadvantages of these combination therapies applied in tumor treatment were compared. Eventually, the challenges of these nanomaterials for clinical applications are discussed.