Targeting ferroptosis as a vulnerability in cancer

Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent form of regulated cell death that is triggered by the toxic build-up of lipid peroxides on cellular membranes. In recent years, ferroptosis has garnered enormous interest in cancer research communities, partly because it is a unique cell death modality that is mechanistically and morphologically different from other forms of cell death, such as apoptosis, and therefore holds great potential for cancer therapy. In this Review, we summarize the current understanding of ferroptosis-inducing and ferroptosis defence mechanisms, dissect the roles and mechanisms of ferroptosis in tumour suppression and tumour immunity, conceptualize the diverse vulnerabilities of cancer cells to ferroptosis, and explore therapeutic strategies for targeting ferroptosis in cancer. In recent years, research in the field of ferroptosis in cancer has risen steeply in part owing to its potential to be targeted. In this Review, Lei et al. provide an up-to-date synthesis of the roles and mechanisms of ferroptosis in tumour growth and progression, including its function in tumour immunity, highlighting it as a vulnerability that can be exploited for cancer therapy.