Approaches to Enhance Photodynamic Therapy of Lung Cancer: Potential Application of Nanoparticles

At present, lung cancer is still a global problem that warrants urgent attention. The traditional therapeutic modalities for lung cancer often present with invasiveness and lack unavoidable side effects. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as a potential alternative; it uses photosensitizers (PSs), oxygen, and a specific wavelength of light to destroy cancerous cells in a selective manner. However, its full potential is limited by several drawbacks such as poor penetration depth and low tumor selectivity. Nanoparticle-mediated PDT systems offer important advantages: they can efficiently deliver PS drugs and allow for targeting specific cells through surface functionalization with ligands such as antibodies or peptides, which bind to tumor-specific receptors. This enhances PS delivery to cancer cells while minimizing side effects to healthy tissues. This review highlights the fundamentals of PDT, nanoparticle-mediated PDT and stimuli-responsive nano-PS delivery platforms for lung cancer. Moreover, nanocarrier systems functionalized with molecular inhibitors, such as heat shock protein inhibitors, to improve the efficiency of PDT in the treatment of lung cancer, are also highlighted.