In photodynamic therapy, neoplastic tissue is damaged and subsequently killed by the targeted illumination of previously photosensitized cells. This review is aimed at a comprehensive, but still easily understandable, presentation of all of the aspects of these methods relevant to ENT-doctors. Initially, an explanation of the clinically relevant difficulties in the therapy of (pre-)malignant lesions of the head and neck region, a historical synopsis of the development of this method and an illustration of the biophysical basics is given. The main part of the publication, however, revolves around the description of the current status of research and a presentation of internationally approved methods. At the end, a short overview of possible future developments in this field is given.