Multifunctional nanoplatforms for combined photothermal and photodynamic therapy: Tumor-responsive strategies for...

Conventional cancer therapies, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, have achieved considerable clinical success but remain constrained by systemic toxicity, poor selectivity, drug resistance, and tumor recurrence. Photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) have emerged as minimally invasive alternatives; however, their clinical translation is hindered by hypoxic tumor microenvironments, limited light penetration, and intratumoral heterogeneity. Recent advances in multifunctional nanoplatforms seek to overcome these limitations by integrating PTT and PDT with chemotherapy and immunotherapy, thereby enhancing therapeutic efficacy through synergistic mechanisms. This review highlights design principles and tumor-responsive strategies that facilitate targeted accumulation, oxygen delivery, immune modulation, and spatiotemporally controlled drug release. Particular emphasis is placed on innovative nanocarriers that combine thermal and oxidative stress with chemo- and immunomodulation, offering precise and potent antitumor effects with promising translational potential.