The aim of this article is to give an insight into the future of
photodynamic therapy (
PDT) in
head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (
HNSCC). Through the combination of a
photosensitizing agent with light and
oxygen,
PDT produces highly cytotoxic
reactive oxygen species leading to selective
tumor eradication.
PDT is an attractive treatment for focal
therapy of localized
tumors, especially in the case of unresectable
tumors. In
HNSCC, over 1500 patients have been treated by
PDT, and the majority of them responded quite favorably to this treatment. However, the non-negligible
photosensitization of healthy tissue is a major limitation for the clinical application of
PDT. Improvement in
tumor selectivity is the main challenge that can be taken up by the use of a new generation of photosensitizing nanoparticles. Passive targeting, by using functionalised nanocarriers to target to overexpressed transmembrane receptors afford attractive solutions. To this day,
epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) remains the only validated molecular target for
HNSCC, and
photosensitizer immunoconjugates to EGFR have been developed for the intracellular delivery of
photosensitizing agents. Depending on coordinated research between
biomarkers, specific
ligands, and
photosensitizers, similar approaches could be rapidly developed. In addition, some
photosensitizers hold high fluorescence yield and therefore could emerge as
theranostic agents.