Polymeric nanocarriers incorporating near-infrared absorbing agents for potent photothermal therapy of cancer

Applications of photothermal therapy (PTT) in the treatment of cancer have attracted a great deal of attention with the advancement of nanotechnology. A key advantage of this strategy is the fact that photothermal agents are capable of annihilating cancer cells with remote light irradiation while causing minimal damage to normal tissues. Because the incorporation of near-infrared (NIR) absorbing agents into self-assembled polymeric nanocarriers confers several benefits to PTT, in this review, we highlight recent advances in polymeric nanocarriers for the photothermal treatment of cancer. These polymeric nanocarriers can store and deliver NIR-absorbing agents to cancer cells and tumor sites, exhibiting significant cytotoxic effects upon treatment using external light irradiation. With the great success of photothermal cancer treatment both in vitro and in vivo, this approach exhibits promising potential for use in future clinical applications. To overcome the limitations of single photothermal treatment methods and to maximize their therapeutic efficacy, synergistic cancer treatment can be achieved by integrating NIR-absorbing agents with anticancer drugs or photosensitizers for combined photothermal-chemotherapy or photothermal-photodynamic therapy. Finally, we conclude this review by discussing various challenges and future perspectives in this field.