1, 3, 4-oxadiazole derivatives received considerable attention of different research groups, as they have wide variety of biological activities. 1, 3, 4-oxadiazole derivatives exhibited noteworthy anticancer activities. In recent years, microwave-induced organic reactions attained significant attention due to several benefits, such as short reaction time, cost-effectiveness, excellent yield, and ease of work. In view of above in present work, SAR and mechanism of action of 1, 3, 4-oxadiazole derivatives as anticancer agents, reported by different research groups in recent years are summarized. Present review also highlighted the various synthetic approaches for efficient microwave-assisted green synthesis of 1, 3, 4-oxadiazole derivatives.