Photonics immunotherapy is a novel cancer treatment strategy that combines local phototherapy and immunotherapy. Phototherapy is a noninvasive or minimally invasive therapeutic strategy for local treatment of cancer, which can destroy tumor cells and release tumor antigens, inducing an in situ antitumor immune response. Immunotherapy, including the use of antibodies, vaccines, immunoadjuvants and cytokines, when combined with phototherapy, could bring a synergistic effect to stimulate a host immune response that effectuates a long-term antitumor immunity. This review will focus on the development of photonics immunotherapy and its systemic antitumor immunological effects.