简介：Cancerisaleadingcauseofdeathworldwide.Cancertreatmentsbychemotherapeuticagents,surgery,andradiationhavenotbeenhighlyeffectiveinreducingtheincidenceofcancersandincreasingthesurvivalrateofcancerpatients.Inrecentyears,plant-derivedcompoundshaveattractedconsiderableattentionasalternativecancerremediesforenhancingcancerpreventionandtreatmentbecauseoftheirlowtoxicities,lowcosts,andlowsideeffects.Ellagicacid(EA)isanaturalphenolicconstituent.RecentinvitroandinvivoexperimentshaverevealedthatEAelicitsanticarcinogeniceffectsbyinhibitingtumorcellproliferation,inducingapoptosis,breakingDNAbindingtocarcinogens,blockingvirusinfection,anddisturbinginflammation,angiogenesis,anddrug-resistanceprocessesrequiredfortumorgrowthandmetastasis.ThisreviewenumeratestheanticarcinogenicactionsandmechanismsofEA.ItalsodiscussesfuturedirectionsontheapplicationsofEA.