The ubiquitin‑proteasome system is a major degradation pathway for >80% of proteins . Deubiquitylases, which remove ubiquitinated tags to stabilize substrate proteins, are important components involved in regulating the degradation of ubiquitinated proteins. In addition, they serve multiple roles in tumor development by participating in physiological processes such as protein metabolism, cell cycle regulation, DNA damage repair and gene transcription. The present review systematically summarized the role of ubiquitin‑specific protease 2 (USP2) in malignant tumors and the specific molecular mechanisms underlying the involvement of in tumor‑associated pathways. reverses ubiquitin‑mediated degradation of proteins and is involved in aberrant proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis and drug resistance of tumors. Additionally, the present review summarized studies reporting on the use of as a therapeutic target for malignancies such as breast, liver, ovarian, colorectal, bladder and prostate cancers and glioblastoma and highlights the current status of pharmacological research on . The clinical significance of as a therapeutic target for malignant tumors warrants further investigation.