Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women across the world. Scientists are working hard to find new and better ways to detect and treat it. One exciting method gaining attention is called phototheranostics.
This method uses light not only to find tumors but also to treat them, all in a non-invasive and real-time way. This means it may be possible to see and treat cancer inside the body using light without surgery.
A key part of this light-based treatment is something called photothermal therapy (PTT). In PTT, special substances—known as photothermal agents—are put into the body. These agents gather in the tumor and turn laser light into heat, which then helps destroy the cancer cells.
Ideally, the heat only targets the tumor, but in real-life situations, things are more complicated. There’s always a risk of the heat damaging nearby healthy tissue, or of not getting rid of all the cancer, which can cause the tumor to grow back.
To improve on this, a team of researchers led by Zhang Pengfei at the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT), along with scientists from Korea University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, has created a new two-step treatment called dual-laser photothermal therapy (DLPTT). Their study was published in the journal PNAS.
This method uses two types of laser light and a new kind of photothermal agent that lights up when it clumps together—this is called aggregation-induced emission. These agents are designed to find and stick to breast cancer cells, allowing more accurate treatment.
Here’s how the two-step laser process works. In the first step, an 808 nm laser (a type of near-infrared light) is shone on the tumor for two minutes.
This short burst of heat (about 50°C) doesn’t kill all the cancer cells, but it damages their DNA and stops them from making a protein called HSP70. This protein normally helps protect cancer cells from heat, so lowering its levels makes the tumor more sensitive to heat in the next step.
In the second step, a different laser (1,064 nm) is used for 13 minutes at a lower temperature (about 43°C). Because the cancer cells have already been weakened, this milder heat is enough to kill the remaining tumor cells. This approach helps avoid overheating and protects healthy tissues from harm. It also reduces inflammation in the body—a common side effect of cancer treatments.
The scientists also used advanced imaging techniques, such as NIR-II fluorescence imaging and photoacoustic imaging. These methods help doctors see tumors more clearly, even deep inside the body. In tests on mice with breast cancer, this dual-laser method successfully slowed tumor growth without causing noticeable harm.
The mice’s body weight stayed steady, and there were low levels of inflammation, which means the treatment was likely safe.
This research shows a big step forward in combining imaging and treatment in one system. It also highlights the value of using special light-sensitive materials that are safer and more precise.
The scientists believe that in the future, this dual-laser approach could be used along with immunotherapy—treatments that help the body’s own immune system fight cancer—to stop cancer from spreading or coming back.
This study offers a major improvement over traditional photothermal therapy. The use of two lasers at different stages helps solve two big problems: avoiding damage to healthy tissue and making sure all tumor cells are destroyed.
The use of advanced imaging means the treatment is also more targeted, helping doctors see exactly where the cancer is and guide the therapy more accurately.
The study also proves that the treatment is safe in animal models, with low toxicity and no major side effects. This makes it a strong candidate for future testing in humans. If future studies confirm these results, this could become a valuable new option for people with breast cancer.
Importantly, the treatment doesn’t rely only on killing cancer cells with heat. It also changes how the cancer cells behave, making them more vulnerable. That smart approach could make it more effective than older treatments.
In short, this dual-laser method could lead to a safer and more effective way to treat breast cancer, with fewer risks and better results.
If you care about breast cancer, please read studies about a major cause of deadly breast cancer, and this daily vitamin is critical to cancer prevention.
For more information about cancer, please see recent studies that new cancer treatment could reawaken the immune system, and results showing vitamin D can cut cancer death risk.
The research findings can be found in PNAS.
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