Following the wisdom of nature to assemble functional candidates into exquisite nanoarchitectures is emerging as a promising field of research and has been widely applied in biomedical sciences. Owing to their excellent properties of structural controllability, functional diversity, dynamic adjustability, and prominent biocompatibility, the self-assembled nanoarchitectures come to play a pivotal role in fighting against cancer. This review outlines the most up-to-date developments in constructing phototherapeutic nanomaterials for photodynamic and photothermal therapy (PDT and PTT) of tumors, with emphasis on design ideas, building blocks, and advantageous characteristics of self-assembly. The prominent activities of cancer therapy obtained by these photoinduced nanotheranostics are also explored in-depth, together with the connections between the specific nanostructures and unique features, providing a comprehensive understanding of the self-assembled nanomaterials in improving the outcomes of PDT and PTT. This review aims to highlight the significance of self-assembled nanomaterials in enhancing phototherapeutic efficacy and to promote its development in various research interests ranging from material science and nanoscience to biomedicine and clinical medicine.
Keywords: cancer theranostics; functional nanomaterials; photodynamic therapy; photothermal therapy; supramolecular self-assembly.