自从最初有关癌症化疗的报道开始至今的70年中，恶性肿瘤已成为儿童和成年人死亡的第二大常见原因。目前，常见的抗癌方法包括手术、化疗、放疗和免疫疗法。虽然这些治疗方法能缓解癌症，但会导致不同类型的副作用，并没有特别显著的延长患者寿命的效果。甘草酸（GL）是一种中国本土草药提取物，具有广泛的药理作用，如抗癌、抗炎、抗氧化和免疫调节。本综述总结了GL在各种癌症中的抗癌效果和机制。重点介绍了GL对化疗所致的肝毒性、肾毒性、基因毒性、神经毒性和肺毒性的抑制作用。因此，GL可能是一种有前景和理想的癌症治疗药物。版权所有©2023 Zhang, Sheng, Xiao, Li, Huang, Jia, Zeng and Li.

Since the first 70 years of reporting cancer chemotherapy, malignant tumors have been the second most common cause of death in children and adults. Currently, the commonly used anti-cancer methods include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy. Although these treatment methods could alleviate cancer, they lead to different forms of side effects and have no particularly significant effect on prolonging the patients' life span. Glycyrrhizic acid (GL), a native Chinese herbal extract, has a wide range of pharmacological effects, such as anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immune regulation. In this review, the anti-cancer effects and mechanisms of GL are summarized in various cancers. The inhibition of GL on chemotherapy-induced side effects, including hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, genotoxicity, neurotoxicity and pulmonary toxicity, is highlighted. Therefore, GL may be a promising and ideal drug for cancer therapy.Copyright © 2023 Zhang, Sheng, Xiao, Li, Huang, Jia, Zeng and Li.