Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are small molecule metabolites of oxygen that are prone to participate in redox reactions via their high reactivity. Intracellular ROS could be generated in reduced nicotina-mide-adenine dinucleotidephosphate (NADPH) oxidase-dependent and/or NADPH oxidase-independent manners. Physiologically, ROS are involved in many signaling cascades that contribute to normal processes. One classical example is that ROS derived from the NADPH oxidase and released in neurotrophils are able to digest invading bacteria. Excessive ROS, however, contribute to patho-genesis of various human diseases including cancer, aging, dimentia and hypertension. As signaling messengers, ROS are able to oxidize many targets such as DNA, proteins and lipids, which may be linked with tumor growth, invasion or metastasis. The present review summarizes recent advances in our comprehensive understanding of ROS-linked signaling pathways in regulation of tumor growth, invasion and metastasis, and focuses on the role of the NADPH oxidase-derived ROS in cancer pathogenesis.