Photodynamic Therapy: Past, Present and Future

Though we crossed many milestones in the field of medicine and health care in eradicating some deadly diseases over the past decades, cancer remained a challenge taking the lives of millions of people and having adverse effects on the quality of life of survivors. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the two existing major treatment modalities, have severe side effects and patients undergoing these treatments experience unbearable pain. Consequently, clinicians and researchers are working for the alternate treatment regimens, which can provide complete cure with minimum or no side effects. To this end, the present review highlights the major advances and future promises of photodynamic therapy, an emerging and promising therapeutic modality for combating cancer. We delve on various important aspects of photodynamic therapy including principle, mechanism of action, brief history and development of photosensitizers from first generation to the existing third generation, delivery strategies, development or suppression of immunity, combination therapy and future prospects.