Recent advances in inorganic nanocomposites for the photothermal therapy of bone tumors

Bone tumors represent a category of malignant diseases with high risks of recurrence and metastasis. Surgical resection, as the primary treatment modality, often fails to eliminate microscopic tumor foci, and the postoperative recurrence rate remains high. In recent years, photothermal therapy (PTT) has emerged as a novel, minimally invasive therapeutic strategy, demonstrating remarkable potential in suppressing tumor recurrence and metastasis. However, traditional PTT still faces challenges such as low photothermal conversion efficiency, insufficient tumor-targeting ability, and the limitations of monomodal therapy, which restrict its clinical applications. To address these issues, various inorganic nanocomposites have been developed that can integrate multiple functions, such as targeted drug delivery and imaging diagnosis, thereby enhancing treatment specificity while minimizing damage to healthy tissues. This review summarizes the current status and challenges of inorganic nanocomposites for PTT in bone tumors and explores their design, performance, and therapeutic mechanisms. Through the continuous optimization of material design and therapeutic strategies, this approach may pave the way for more effective, precise, and minimally invasive therapies in clinical oncology.