Patients with malignant tumors often need a large amount of blood transfusion during operation. Previous studies have suggested that Intraoperative cell salvage (IOCS) may retransfuse malignant tumor cells and cause tumor spread and recurrence. Therefore, the application of IOCS in patients with malignant tumor surgery is still controversial. However, as the research on the elimination methods of tumor cells in autologous blood continues to mature, it has been found that leukocyte depletion filter (LDF) can filter and remove white blood cells, tumor cells and inflammatory mediators in cell‑salvaged blood, which increases the safety and feasibility of autologous blood transfusion for surgery in patients with malignant tumors. Combined with relevant studies at home and abroad in recent years, this article reviews the research and application progress of LDF in malignant tumor autologous blood transfusion, in order to provide theoretical basis for the application of LDF in malignant tumor autologous blood transfusion.