The article reviews the role of natural killer (NK) cells in immune surveillance against cancer and highlights new therapeutic approaches for targeting NK cells in cancer treatment. NK cells, the prototype innate lymphoid cells, play a crucial role in controlling microbial infections and tumor progression. They are characterized by their potent cytolytic function and ability to recognize and kill stressed cells, such as infected or tumor cells, without prior sensitization. The balance between activating and inhibitory signals delivered by various receptors on the NK cell surface regulates their function. Impaired NK cell function has been associated with increased incidence of various cancers. NK cells use inhibitory receptors to prevent the killing of healthy cells and require strong activating signals to initiate an immune response against infected or tumor cells. The article discusses the role of NK cell receptors, such as NKG2D, DNAM1, and CD16, in immune responses against cancer. It also explores the potential of NK cells in cancer therapy, including checkpoint blockade, adoptive cell transfer, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) engineering, and bispecific antibody design. The authors emphasize the importance of genetic engineering of immune cells and the development of new combination strategies to enhance the antitumor functions of NK cells.The article reviews the role of natural killer (NK) cells in immune surveillance against cancer and highlights new therapeutic approaches for targeting NK cells in cancer treatment. NK cells, the prototype innate lymphoid cells, play a crucial role in controlling microbial infections and tumor progression. They are characterized by their potent cytolytic function and ability to recognize and kill stressed cells, such as infected or tumor cells, without prior sensitization. The balance between activating and inhibitory signals delivered by various receptors on the NK cell surface regulates their function. Impaired NK cell function has been associated with increased incidence of various cancers. NK cells use inhibitory receptors to prevent the killing of healthy cells and require strong activating signals to initiate an immune response against infected or tumor cells. The article discusses the role of NK cell receptors, such as NKG2D, DNAM1, and CD16, in immune responses against cancer. It also explores the potential of NK cells in cancer therapy, including checkpoint blockade, adoptive cell transfer, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) engineering, and bispecific antibody design. The authors emphasize the importance of genetic engineering of immune cells and the development of new combination strategies to enhance the antitumor functions of NK cells.