Abstract: Thalidomide originally was used for the treatment of vomiting of pregnancy， which was once forbidden in the clinical for teratogenic events. Basic researches have confirmed that thalidomide has the effect of antiangiogenesis， immune adjustment and anti-inflammatory. Therefore， it is postulated that it has antitumor potential， as evident by the treatment of multiple myeloma. The treatment of solid tumors by thalidomide is still in the exploration stage. The existing literatures are focusing on case reports and phase Ⅰ and Ⅱ clinical study with inconsistent curative effect， needing to be further confirmed by largesample randomized controlled clinical trials. In addition， thalidomide may have a certain value to relieve the gastrointestinal reaction caused by chemotherapy and cancer anorexia cachexia syndrome.