Ferroptosis in cancer and emerging strategies for combination treatment
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Ferroptosis and Oxidative Stress
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Ferroptosis in cancer and emerging strategies for combination treatment

Kamini Kaushal
1,2,#
,
Farzad Rafiei
3,#
,
Saina Sadeghipour
3,#
,
Seyed Mohammad Hosseini Marvast
3
,
Divakar Ravi Kumar
1,2
,
Lissy Z. F. Gross
1,2
,
William John Wachter III
1,2
,
Biplab Ghosh
5,6
,
Andreas Trumpp
1,2
,
Ali Mandegary
4
,
Hamed Alborzinia
1,2,*
*Correspondence to: Hamed Alborzinia, Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine (HI‐STEM gGmbH), Heidelberg 69120, Germany. E-mail: h.alborzinia@dkfz.de
Ferroptosis Oxid Stress. 2026;2:202606. 10.70401/fos.2026.0031
Received: February 16, 2026Accepted: June 15, 2026Published: June 16, 2026
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This manuscript is made available in its unedited form to allow early access to the reported findings. Further editing will be completed before final publication. As such, the content may include errors, and standard legal disclaimers are applicable.

Abstract

Ferroptosis, a distinct form of cell death driven by lipid peroxidation, holds considerable potential as a therapeutic strategy for cancer. Its unique mechanisms, centered on the disruption of cellular systems that protect against phospholipid peroxidation, distinguish ferroptosis from apoptosis and other well-characterized forms of cell death. This creates a novel therapeutic opportunity; however, it also presents challenges, as non-cancerous cells likewise depend to some extent on ferroptosis-regulating pathways. Consequently, extensive research efforts have focused on identifying suitable molecular targets, developing targeted drug delivery strategies, defining cancer types that are particularly dependent on ferroptosis-regulatory components, and establishing effective patient stratification approaches. Furthermore, exploring combination therapies may further enhance therapeutic efficacy through additive or synergistic effects. This review highlights the potential synergistic effects of combining ferroptosis induction with conventional cancer therapies, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation therapy. Preclinical studies indicate that promoting ferroptosis may help overcome drug resistance, a major barrier that often limits the efficacy of existing treatments. Nevertheless, the successful development of ferroptosis-based therapies will require overcoming several challenges through innovative therapeutic strategies.

Keywords

Ferroptosis, cancer therapy, drug resistance, lipid peroxidation, reactive oxygen species, combination therapy, tumor microenvironment.

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Kaushal K, Rafiei F, Sadeghipour S, Marvast SMH, Kumar DR, Gross LZF, et al. Ferroptosis in cancer and emerging strategies for combination treatment. Ferroptosis Oxid Stress. 2026;2:202606. https://doi.org/10.70401/fos.2026.0031

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