Nanoagent‐Promoted Mild‐Temperature Photothermal Therapy for Cancer Treatment

Abstract

Abstract Photothermal therapy (PTT), which utilizes near‐infrared light‐absorbing agents to ablate tumor, has emerged as a highly promising anticancer strategy and received intensive clinical trials in recent years. Mild‐temperature PTT, which circumvents the limitations of conventional PTT (e.g., thermoresistance and adverse effects), is emerging and shows great potential in the forthcoming clinical applications. However, mild‐temperature PTT without adjuvant therapy is not able to completely eradicate tumors because its therapeutic efficacy is dramatically impaired by its inferior heat intensity. As a result, strategies capable of enhancing the anticancer efficacy of mild‐temperature PTT are urgently necessitated, which mainly rely on on‐demand fabrication of functionalized nanoagents. In this review, the strategies of nanoagent‐promoted mild‐temperature PTT are highlighted. Furthermore, challenges and opportunities in this field are rationally proposed, and hopefully people can be encouraged by this promising anticancer therapy.