Cancer is a major worldwide public health problem. With the popularity of medical examinations, the improvement of surgical procedures and the application of antitumor drugs, the mortality rate of cancer has declined in recent years, but the quantity remains extremely high. At the same time, with the emergence of tumor drug resistance, it is particularly urgent to seek new and effective drugs for tumor treatment. Solanine, a type of steroidal alkaloid, is the main extract of Solanum nigrum L. Because of its wide biological activity, it has attracted increasing attention, specifically, towards the empirical study of its antitumor activity. This article summarizes the research progress of the antitumor effect and mechanism of solanine over the past 20 years, to provide a reference for workers in the field of cancer research.