Despite the recent breakthroughs in cancer immunotherapies, two major challenges remain in modern oncology in further advancing patient survival benefits-chemo-resistance development and low patient response rates to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Two new approaches at solving these problems via induction of programmed necrosis in target tumor were recently disclosed, one using MLKL-mRNA that targets necroptosis induction in tumors, and the other using peptide- assisted zinc compound that targets parthanatos induction in tumors. This mini-review summarizes potential advantages of these new approaches, their current caveats, and their identified translational challenges ahead.
