In this review we provided insights into the mechanisms by which PDT can be used to modulate autophagy and emphasizes how this field represents a promising therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment.   

This collection compiles some of the most recent advances in the knowledge of the autophagic pathway and its involvement in human cancer development. Carcinogenesis implies proliferation, tissue invasion, vascularization, and modulation of the immune system. Herein, we expanded our knowledge about autophagy in carcinogenesis, showing how it has been engaged in various processes, including tumor progression, cancer-related thrombosis and metastasis, cancer dormancy linked to stem cell behavior and quiescence, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), intercellular communications, cell-stroma interactions, and tumor microenvironment (TME), immune responses, treatment resistance and tumor-adaptative response. 

In this review, we analyze the relationships between membrane alterations induced by photo-oxidation and the biochemical responses in mammalian cells. We specifically address the impact of photosensitization reactions in membranes of different organelles such as mitochondria, lysosome, endoplasmic reticulum, and plasma membrane, and the subsequent responses of eukaryotic cells.