Abstract: A characteristic of cancer is resistance to programmed cell death, which sustains cell survival through oncogenic transformation and therapeutic resistance. Recent studies have shown that programmed cell death is not limited to caspase-dependent apoptosis. Necroptosis, a caspase-independent form of cell death, is regulated by receptor interacting protein 1, receptor interacting protein 3, and mixed lineage kinase domain-like proteins. This review summarized current research studies on necroptosis to provide perspectives for the development of novel tumor radiotherapy and chemotherapy strategies that target this process.