Quantum dots in photodynamic therapy

The alarming number of mortalities induced by cancer has been on the rise in recent years globally, necessitating the development of novel, efficacious, and targeted therapies. Besides conventional treatments and medication, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as a promising noninvasive and targeted approach for cancer treatment. This therapeutic approach is endowed with several advantages, such as negligible toxicity, target-specific treatment, faster recovery time, and lower systemic toxic effects. However, classical PDT has shown some limitations that hinder its approval for use in the clinical setting. In recent years, nanotechnology has significantly advanced PDT research by optimizing conventional photosensitizers (PSs) to alleviate these limitations and pave new avenues for the application of this therapy in oncology. Quantum dots (QDs) are efficient and biocompatible PDT agents with unique optical properties, photostability, tunable emission spectra, and enhanced two-photon absorption. Carbon-based QDs (CQDs), in particular, are the most promising agents in PDT due to their ability to act as PSs or as PS delivery systems. This chapter discusses CQD-mediated PDT and target-specific delivery systems in cancer therapy, as well as its combination with other cancer therapies.