In recent years cancer has become one of the major public health challenges worldwide due to its high incidence and mortality rates. Traditional treatment methods such as surgery chemotherapy and radiotherapy have played significant roles in tumor treatment but they still have notable side effects and strong drug resistance. Against this backdrop secondary metabolites from plants have become a continuous research focus in the field of tumor chemoprevention and the development of new anti-cancer drugs thanks to their natural biocompatibility multi - target regulatory properties and low systemic toxicity. This review systematically summarizes the types of plant compounds their anti - tumor mechanisms applications in cancer prevention combined treatment strategies and pharmacokinetic characteristics based on relevant research literature on plant compounds' anti - tumor effects and discusses future research trends and challenges in clinical translation.