Novel strategies utilizing light in the second near-infrared region (NIR-II; 900–1,880 nm wavelengths) offer the potential to visualize and treat solid tumours with enhanced precision. Over the past few decades, numerous techniques leveraging NIR-II light have been developed with the aim of precisely eliminating tumours while maximally preserving organ function. During cancer surgery, NIR-II optical imaging enables the visualization of clinically occult lesions and surrounding vital structures with increased sensitivity and resolution, thereby enhancing surgical quality and improving patient prognosis. Furthermore, the use of NIR-II light promises to improve cancer phototherapy by enabling the selective delivery of increased therapeutic energy to tissues at greater depths. Initial clinical studies of NIR-II-based imaging and phototherapy have indicated impressive potential to decrease cancer recurrence, reduce complications and prolong survival. Despite the encouraging results achieved, clinical translation of innovative NIR-II techniques remains challenging and inefficient; multidisciplinary cooperation is necessary to bridge the gap between preclinical research and clinical practice, and thus accelerate the translation of technical advances into clinical benefits. In this Review, we summarize the available clinical data on NIR-II-based imaging and phototherapy, demonstrating the feasibility and utility of integrating these technologies into the treatment of cancer. We also introduce emerging NIR-II-based approaches with substantial potential to further enhance patient outcomes, while also highlighting the challenges associated with imminent clinical studies of these modalities.

利用第二近红外区域（NIR-II；900-1,880 nm 波长）光的新颖策略提供了以更高的精度可视化和治疗实体瘤的潜力。在过去的几十年里，人们开发了许多利用 NIR-II 光的技术，旨在精确消除肿瘤，同时最大限度地保留器官功能。在癌症手术期间，NIR-II 光学成像能够以更高的灵敏度和分辨率可视化临床隐匿性病变和周围重要结构，从而提高手术质量并改善患者预后。此外，NIR-II 光的使用有望通过选择性地将增加的治疗能量传递到更深处的组织来改善癌症光疗。基于 NIR-II 的成像和光疗的初步临床研究表明，在减少癌症复发、减少并发症和延长生存期方面具有巨大的潜力。尽管取得了令人鼓舞的成果，但创新 NIR-II 技术的临床转化仍然具有挑战性且效率低下；多学科合作对于弥合临床前研究和临床实践之间的差距是必要的，从而加速技术进步转化为临床效益。在这篇综述中，我们总结了基于 NIR-II 的成像和光疗的可用临床数据，证明了将这些技术整合到癌症治疗中的可行性和实用性。我们还介绍了基于 NIR-II 的新兴方法，这些方法具有进一步改善患者治疗效果的巨大潜力，同时也强调了与这些模式即将进行的临床研究相关的挑战。