Tumor Specificity and the Type of Cell Death Induced by Heterocycles

Considering the presence of multiple types of cell death induced by chemicals, it is important to determine a definitive strategy for the exploration of new highly tumor-selective compounds. The screening of highly selective compounds should be performed before the identification of the type of cell death (either apoptosis, autophagy, or necrosis) and the cell death induction mechanism. The tumor specificities of heterocyclic compounds and the type of cell death induced by them are summarized.