Programmed cell death (PCD) is an evolutionarily conserved process of cell suicide that is regulated by various genes and the interaction of multiple signal pathways. Non-canonical programmed cell death (PCD) represents different signaling excluding apoptosis. Colon cancer is the third most incident and the fourth most mortal worldwide. Multiple factors such as alcohol, obesity, and genetic and epigenetic alternations contribute to the carcinogenesis of colon cancer. In recent years, emerging evidence has suggested that diverse types of non-canonical programmed cell death are involved in the initiation and development of colon cancer, including mitotic catastrophe, ferroptosis, pyroptosis, necroptosis, parthanatos, oxeiptosis, NETosis, PANoptosis, and entosis. In this review, we summarized the association of different types of non-canonical PCD with tumorigenesis, progression, prevention, treatments, and prognosis of colon cancer. In addition, the prospect of drug-resistant colon cancer therapy related to non-canonical PCD, and the interaction between different types of non-canonical PCD, was systemically reviewed.
Keywords: carcinogenesis; cell death; colon cancer.