An easy synthesis method of hollow, porous gold nanoparticles (AuHP NPs) with controlled diameter and pores sizes and with a wide range of light absorbance (continuous between 500 and 900 nm) is presented together with the explanation of the nanoparticle formation mechanism. The NPs were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) combined with the selected area electron diffraction patterns, X-ray diffraction and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. TEM images showed that changing the synthesis temperature allows to obtain AuHP NPs with sizes from 35 +/- 4 nm at 60 degrees C to 76 +/- 8 nm at 90 degrees C. The effects of nanoscale porosity on the far- and near-field optical properties of the nanoparticles, as well as on effective conversion of electromagnetic energy into thermal energy, were applied in simulated photothermal cancer therapy. The latter one was simulated by irradiation of two cancer cell lines SW480 and SW620 with lasers operating at 650 nm and 808 nm wavelengths. The mortality of cells after using the synthesized AuHP NPs as photosensitizers is between 20 and 50% and increases with the decrease in the diameter of the AuHP NPs. All these attractive properties of the AuHP NPs make them find application in many biomedical studies.