Synergistic anti-cancer effects of NIR-light responsive nanotherapeutics for chemo-photothermal therapy and photothermal immunotherapy: A combined therapeutic approach

Cancer nanomedicine is an important medical application in nanotechnology research tools that have special properties such as flexibility, easy modulation, and high targeting efficiency on tumor tissues. The designing of controlled drug delivery at a nanoscale level to target tumor cells is known as the nano-drug delivery system (NDDS). Nanoparticles (NPs) - based NDDS has distinct advantages over traditional pharmaceuticals, including greater stability and biocompatibility, enhanced permeability and retention effect (EPR), and precisely targeted tumor tissue. Near-infrared (NIR) light-responsive NPs utilized for photothermal effects are called photothermal therapy (PTT). PTT is the most significant aspect of nanotechnology to cure tumors because, thermal heat energy directly induces tumor ablation, without any normal cell damage and side effects. Chemotherapy is one of the most efficient strategies for cancer therapy but it has side effects. Cancer immunotherapy aims to reactivate autoimmune responses for fighting cancer cells. Hence, the combination of chemotherapy, PTT, and Immunotherapy can be efficiently achieved to enhance antitumor efficacy. This comprehensive review is mainly focused on the combined therapeutic effects of chemo-PTT (CPTT) and photothermal immunotherapy (PIT) on cancer treatment and metastatic inhibition. Nowadays, a specific combination of CPTT and PIT is one of the most effective methods to treat cancers. Therefore, the combined therapeutic approach has a great potential effect to fight against cancer for tumor regression and metastatic inhibition.