Abstract: The onset of cholangiocarcinoma is insidious and the degree of malignancy is extremely high.Most of the patients are already in the advanced stage when they are first diagnosed and have lost the opportunity of radical surgery.The prognosis of patients is poor and the quality of life is low.Currently,the common treatment methods for unresectable cholangiocarcinoma include biliary stent,radiotherapy and chemotherapy,radiofrequency ablation,targeted therapy and immunotherapy,etc.However,due to the poor degree of malignancy of biliary duct tumor,radiotherapy and chemotherapy are not sensitive and prone to drug resistance,the existing treatment methods are limited in improving the survival time and quality of life of patients.Therefore,clinicians urgently need to explore new treatment strategies to overcome the current dilemma.Photodynamic therapy (PDT),as a new treatment for cholangiocarcinoma,has attracted attention due to its excellent local anti-tumor effect.In this paper,the research and development of photosensitizers,the molecular mechanism,and the clinical application of PDT in recent years are summarized.Combined with the corresponding clinical work carried out by the author's team,the spots and potential of PDT research are described,so as to provide references for clinical and scientific research.

Key words: cholangiocarcinoma, photodynamic therapy, photosensitizers