Multimodal photothermal therapy for gynecologic neoplasms: Clinical development and potential

Gynecologic cancers (ovarian, cervical, endometrial) remain hard to treat. This is partly due to where they are located in the body, changes in the tumor microenvironment (TME) driven by interleukin-6 (IL-6) that help them resist treatment, and ways they avoid the immune system. Photothermal therapy (PTT) is developing into a versatile precision cancer treatment. Advanced nanoparticle systems now allow precise heating that can destroy oxygen-starved tumor areas while also triggering heat-activated drug release. This represents a major advance over the limitations seen with traditional chemotherapy delivered into the abdomen for these cancers. This review carefully explains: (i) Theoretical underpinnings; (ii) Integration of photothermal therapy with complementary treatment modalities; (iii) Photothermal therapeutic strategies in gynecologic malignancies; (iv) Clinical translation of photothermal therapy, and (v) Current advances and translational barriers.