富勒烯是一类在自然界以各种形态存在的碳分子。它们由六角和五角环组成，形成了闭合结构。将近40年前，富勒烯以C60和C70的形式被发现，随后于1996年获得诺贝尔化学奖，许多实验室开始研究水溶性衍生物，包括在制药行业中的应用。首先被不同研究小组关注的富勒醇形式是富勒醇，化学式为C60(OH)n（n  =  2-44）。体外和体内研究表明，多羟基化富勒烯衍生物在生物系统中可能作为抗氧化剂或细胞毒剂（取决于其共同使用的方式、形态和浓度/剂量）进行潜在应用。本综述旨在从过去20年的研究中对富勒醇在肿瘤学中的潜在应用和限制进行批判性评价。

Fullerenes are carbon molecules that are found in nature in various forms. They are composed of hexagonal and pentagonal rings that create closed structures. Almost 4 decades ago, fullerenes were identified in the form of C60 and C70, and following the award of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this discovery in 1996, many laboratories started working on their water-soluble derivatives that could be used in different industries, including pharmaceutical industries. One of the first fullerene forms that was the focus of different research groups was fullerenol, C60(OH)n (n  =  2-44). Both in-vitro and in-vivo studies have shown that polyhydroxylate fullerene derivatives can potentially be used as either antioxidative agents or cytostatics (depending on their co-administration, forms, and concentration/dose) in biological systems. The current review aimed to present a critical view of the potential applications and limitations of fullerenols in oncology, as understood from the past 2 decades of research.