A narrative review of mechanisms of ferroptosis in cancer: new challenges and opportunities

OBJECTIVE: This article reviews the specific mechanism of ferroptosis in cancer and introduces in detail the opportunities and challenges of ferroptosis-based cancer therapy, aiming to provide a new research direction for tumor therapy. BACKGROUND: Ferroptosis is a newly discovered programmed non-apoptotic form of cell death. Involving changes in metabolic processes and the accumulation of peroxidation caused by factors such as drugs or genes which destruct the cell membrane structure, this kind of cell death has been linked with the pathological process of diseases such as tumors, neurological diseases, ischemia-reperfusion injury, kidney injury, and hemopathy. This kind of cell death can play a vital role in inhibiting tumorigenesis by eliminating the adaptive characteristics of malignant cells and removing cells that are unable to obtain key nutritional factors or are infected and damaged by environmental changes. The present focus of research on the regulation of ferroptosis-related diseases involves the use of small molecule compounds. METHODS: We described the mechanism of ferroptosis and its related small molecules compounds, which involved in the regulatory mechanism, and analyzed the role and regulatory mechanism of ferroptosis in different tumors. CONCLUSIONS: This article reviewed the mechanism of ferroptosis and its role and mechanism in different tumors, and showed it can inhibit the occurrence and development of different tumors and may reduce the adverse effects of current treatment methods.