The past decades have witnessed great strides in phototherapy as an experimental option or regulation-approved treatment in numerous cancer indications. Of particular interest is nanoscale photosensitizer-based phototherapy, which has been established as a prominent candidate for advanced tumor treatment by virtue of its high efficacy and safety. Despite considerable research progress on materials, methods and devices in nanoscale photosensitizing agent-based phototherapy, their mechanisms of action are not always clear, which impedes their practical application in cancer treatment. Hence, from a new perspective, this review elaborates the working mechanisms, involving impairment and moderation effects, of diverse phototherapies on cells, organelles, organs, and tissues. Furthermore, the most current available phototherapy modalities are categorized as photodynamic, photothermal, photo-immune, photo-gas, and radio therapies in this review. A comprehensive understanding of the inferiority and superiority of various phototherapies will facilitate the advent of a new era of cancer phototherapy.

中文翻译：

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癌症光疗的新时代：机制和应用


在过去的几十年里，光疗作为许多癌症适应症的实验选择或法规批准的治疗方法取得了长足的进步。特别令人感兴趣的是基于纳米级光敏剂的光疗，它凭借其高效和安全性已被确定为晚期肿瘤治疗的重要候选者。尽管在纳米级光敏剂光疗的材料、方法和装置方面取得了相当大的研究进展，但它们的作用机制并不总是很清楚，这阻碍了它们在癌症治疗中的实际应用。因此，本文从一个新的角度阐述了不同光疗对细胞、细胞器、器官和组织的作用机制，包括损伤和调节效应。此外，在本综述中，最新可用的光疗方式分为光动力、光热、光免疫、光气和放射疗法。全面了解各种光疗的优劣性，将有助于癌症光疗新时代的到来。