Table 4.

Mechanism of different heterocyclic compounds in cancer therapy.

Heterocyclic compounds	Drugs approved by FDA	Type of cancer	Mechanism of anticancer	Ref.
Nitrogen-based heterocycles	Vincristine and vinblastine	Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and testicular cancer	Inhibition of cell signaling, cell cycle arrest, inhibition of tumor vascularization and DNA repair, induction of oxidative stress, tubulin depolymerization	[91]
Oxygen-based heterocycles	Cabazitaxel and eribulin	Prostate and metastatic breast cancer	Depolymerisation of microtubule, inhibition of mitosis	[92]
Sulfur-based heterocycles	Dabrafenib	Melanoma, lung cancer	Inhibition of tyrosine kinase	[93]