The common fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has been used to study human disease as a model organism for many years. Many basic biological, physiological, and neurological properties are conserved between mammals and fly. Moreover, Drosophila melanogaster has its unique advantage as a model organism. Recent studies showed that the high level of signaling pathway conservation in tumorigenesis between fly and human and its feasible genetic operation make fly an effective model for oncology research. Numerous research findings showed Drosophila melanogaster was an ideal model for studying the molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis, invasion and metastasis. This review mainly focuses on the advantages of Drosophila melanogaster in cancer research, established models used for the research of specific cancers and prospective research direction of oncology. It is hoped that this paper can provide insight for cancer research and development of anti-cancer drugs.