Cancer is one of the most common and deadly diseases which has challenged human knowledge since its discovery. There are a variety of therapies, such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, palliative surgery, medicine, and gene therapy, used for patients suffering from cancer, all of which represent, to some extent, a kind of failure. However, a number of novel strategies based on nanotechnology have been introduced in recent years, which appear to have the ability to be used as an auxiliary treatment for chemotherapy and radiotherapy in the future. Interestingly, cancer cells, in response to various therapeutic factors, can utilize certain cellular mechanisms and processes for their survival and growth. For example, macro autophagy/autophagy, can alter the cancer cell fate, from autophagic cell death to dormancy. Nonetheless, there have been conflicting conclusions regarding the interactions of phototherapy methods with cells as well as their wanted or unwanted impacts on these cells. In addition, there are complicated and controversial associations among the most common cell death mechanisms such as apoptosis, autophagy, and necrosis as well as tumor treatment and recurrence. There are lots of reports that show side effects of PDT and PTT, but the exact mechanisms underlying possible horrible side effects of these therapeutical strategies, not clearly identified. Therefore, we decided to discuss whether the incorrect application of various phototherapy parameters not only fails to treat and eradicate cancerous tumors, but also mediates the entry of tumor cells into the dormancy phase or even promotes a cancer flare up.