Oxidative stress-modulating drugs have preferential anticancer effects - involving the regulation of apoptosis, DNA damage, endoplasmic reticulum stress, autophagy, metabolism, and migration.

To achieve preferential effects against cancer cells but less damage to normal cells is one of the main challenges of cancer research. In this review, we explore the roles and relationships of oxidative stress-mediated apoptosis, DNA damage, ER stress, autophagy, metabolism, and migration of ROS-modulating anticancer drugs. Understanding preferential anticancer effects in more detail will improve chemotherapeutic approaches that are based on ROS-modulating drugs in cancer treatments.