The role and value of Chinese herbal medicine in tumor treatment

Chinese medicine is profound and long-standing, and has made great contributions to the health and reproduction of the Chinese nation for 5,000 years. In recent decades, Chinese medicine has also made promising achievements in the field of tumor treatment. Surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, TCM, immunotherapy, targeted therapy and other methods are available for the treatment of tumors, and surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy have played a good role in curing some early and middle stage tumors and reducing the load of late stage tumors. However, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are damaging treatments, and while killing tumor cells, they also have certain harm to normal cells, such as bone marrow suppression, liver and kidney damage, and gastrointestinal reactions, etc. Some patients terminate or give up treatment because they cannot tolerate the side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The treatment of TCM plays a very good role in reducing the side effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, recovering and regulating the body after surgery, and improving clinical symptoms. The use of traditional Chinese medicine in anti-cancer treatment can also play a role in suppressing and eliminating tumors for patients with poor physical condition and those who cannot undergo surgery. Especially, Chinese medicine can regulate the imbalance of yin and yang of patients and prevent recurrence and metastasis after surgery. The following are a few cases in which I have used Chinese and Western medicine and Chinese herbal medicine to prolong the survival period, improve the quality of life and clinical symptoms of patients. Case 1: Breast cancer, treated with combination of Chinese and Western medicine for 13 years, with good quality of life now. Li, female, now 59 years old, Beijing native, visited the clinic on July 8, 1996 for a left breast mass, which was palpable in the upper outer quadrant of the left breast, 3x3x1cm, movable and hard. On July 16, he underwent radical mastectomy in the general surgery department of China-Japan Friendship Hospital. Pathology: medullary carcinoma of the breast, axillary lymph node metastasis 0/10, ER(-),PR(-). Past history: hypertensive disease for 3 years, stable control by medication. Allergic history: no history of drug allergy. Western medical diagnosis: postoperative T2N0M0.II stage of medullary carcinoma of the left breast Chinese medical diagnosis: postoperative left breast rock (liver depression and qi stagnation, internal obstruction of stasis and toxicity) After surgery, he was transferred to our department for 3 cycles of chemotherapy, E-AEF regimen, with drugs of epi-amycin, cyclophosphamide and fluorouracil, with grade 1 side effects, and during chemotherapy and additional Chinese herbal treatment to reduce chemotherapy side effects. Later, due to phlebitis, I refused to continue chemotherapy. For the next five consecutive years, Chinese herbal medicine and immunotherapy were the main treatments. The Chinese medicine treatment is based on the patient’s medical history, clinical symptoms, tongue quality, tongue coating and pulse, and the combination of evidence and disease identification. The symptoms are as follows: dizziness, fatigue, weakness, soreness of the lower limbs, bitterness in the mouth, poor appetite, and bowel movement. The tongue is reddish in color, with thin yellow coating and thin pulse. Chinese herbal prescription: Clearing the liver, tonifying the kidney, harmonizing the stomach, softening hardness, dispersing nodules and detoxifying the toxin, plus reduction of Tian Ma 10 g Chrysanthemum 5 g Dandelion 20 g Scutellaria 10 g Chen Pi 10 g Rhizoma Atractylodes 10 g Radix Scutellariae 10 g Chuan Gui 15 g Shen Qu 15 g Parasol 15 g Cichorium 15 g Cao He Che 15 g Symptoms: back pain, poor sleep at night, excessive dreaming, nausea, light red tongue, thin yellow tongue coating, sunken and thin pulse. Chinese medicine prescription: Clearing the liver, tonifying the kidney, nourishing the blood, calming the mind, detoxifying and resolving blood stasis, plus and minus: 10g of vinegar Caihu, 20g of dandelion, 15g of eucommia, 15g of parasiticum, 15g of cypress, 20g of helianthus bark, 25g of farro, 25g of white peony, 25g of yujin, 15g of fried jujube, 25g of mountain mushroom, 15g of strawberry, 15g of anti-cancer herbal medicine: taking Pingxiao capsule, Xiaojin pill, etc. Immunotherapy includes intramuscular injection, intravenous and oral administration of various Chinese and Western drugs alternately. At present, the patient has regular annual comprehensive re-examination, and the results are basically normal. The patient has good mental and physical strength, is moving freely and has good quality of life. Characteristics of this case: The patient is a stage II breast cancer, and has undergone a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, traditional Chinese medicine and immunotherapy. Endocrine therapy was not performed because of ER(-) and PR(-). Six cycles of chemotherapy were originally proposed, but I did not want to continue chemotherapy. Therefore, herbal treatment increased the intensity of anti-cancer. According to the comprehensive analysis of evidence, tongue and pulse, the patient’s constitution belonged to the type of liver depression and heat, kidney yin deficiency and internal obstruction of stasis and toxicity, so the treatment cleared the liver, tonified the kidney, detoxified and eliminated stasis all the time, and fundamentally regulated the imbalance of yin and yang of the patient to achieve the treatment purpose, and the prognosis was better. The patient has survived for 13 years. Case 2: Colon cancer, treated with a combination of Chinese and Western medicine, has been 12 years, and now has a good quality of life. Zhang, male, now 84 years old, Beijing native On May 16, 1997, he underwent radical surgery for colon cancer in the general surgery department of China-Japan Friendship Hospital, pathology: moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma, lymph node metastasis 2/5. After surgery, he was transferred to our department for chemotherapy, FM program, the drugs were fluorouracil and mitomycin, after 2 cycles of chemotherapy, but refused to continue chemotherapy. Later on, he was treated with Chinese medicine. Past history: physically fit, no special. Allergy history: no history of drug allergy. Western medical diagnosis: T2N1M0, stage III, postoperative medium-differentiated adenocarcinoma of the colon Chinese medical diagnosis: postoperative dirty toxicity (weakness of the spleen and stomach, internal obstruction of phlegm and stagnation) Chinese medicine treatment is generally as follows: symptoms: abdominal distension, bitter mouth, bad breath, poor appetite, stool regulation. When the tongue is dark red, the tongue coating is yellow and greasy, and the pulse is sunken and stringent. Chinese herbal prescription: Strengthening the spleen and stomach, resolving dampness and detoxifying the toxin, plus and minus Chen Pi 10g Qing Han Xia 10g Cang Zhu 15g Atractylodes Macrocephala 10g Bai Kou 10g Lycopodium 15g Bamboo Roo 10g Perilla 15g Huang Lian 5g Nei Jin 15g Jiao San Xian 15g each and Half Branch Lotus 15g Symptoms: fatigue and weakness, dry mouth and bitterness, eating and drinking, stool regulation. When the tongue is dark red, the tongue coating is thin and white and greasy, and the pulse is sunken and stringent. Chinese medicine prescription: Strengthening the spleen, benefiting Qi, harmonizing the stomach, resolving dampness, dispersing nodules and detoxifying the toxin. 25g Radix Codonopsis pilosulae, 10g Atractylodes macrocephala, 15g Poria cocos, 15g Sand 6g Chen Pi, 10g Semenax chinensis, 10g Atractylodes macrocephalae, 15g Muxiang, 5g Fructus lycopodium, 15g Perilla, 15g Neijin, 15g Bai Kou, 10g Jiao Sanxian, 15g Semen lotus, 15g Anti-cancer Chinese medicine: take Huachansuo tablets, Pingxiao capsule, etc. Immunotherapy includes intramuscular injection and oral administration of various drugs. Combination of Chinese and Western medicine. Characteristics of this case: The patient is frail at an advanced age and has stage III colon cancer, which has been treated with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, Chinese medicine and immunotherapy. After 2 cycles of chemotherapy. Later on, he has been treated with traditional Chinese medicine and immunotherapy. According to the patient’s clinical symptoms and tongue and pulse, he was identified as having a weak spleen and stomach with phlegm and stagnation. The treatment was to strengthen the spleen, benefit the qi and stomach to treat the root cause, and to remove phlegm and stagnation to treat the symptoms. At present, the patient is 84 years old, can take care of himself and has a good quality of life. She has survived for 12 years. Case 3: Breast cancer, herbal treatment to improve the patient’s minimal diet and no appetite after surgery Case. Zhang, female, 46 years old, Shanxi 19 days after the initial diagnosis of right breast cancer on July 22, 2008. right breast cancer breast-conserving surgery was performed at the Cancer Hospital of Chinese Academy of Sciences on July 3, 2008. pathology: invasive ductal carcinoma grade II, partly showing intraductal carcinoma, tumor size 1.0×0.5×0.4CM, tumor did not involve pectoral fascia, right axillary lymph node metastasis (0/15), ER(+++), C PR(++), C-erbB2(±). At the time of consultation, his general condition was poor, with a dull complexion, emaciation, fatigue, dry and bitter mouth, very little food, no appetite, (one or two meals per meal), abdominal distension after eating, fear of cold stomach, poor night sleep, and normal stool. The tongue is dark red, the coating is thin, yellow and dry, and the pulse is sunken and thin. He has recovered from previous tuberculosis and has no history of drug sensitivity. Western medicine diagnosis: right breast invasive ductal carcinoma T2N0M0 Traditional Chinese medicine diagnosis: breast rock (liver depression and qi stagnation, spleen and stomach disharmony) Danpi 10g, Gardenia 10g, vinegar Chaihu 10g, Yujin 10g, Atractylodes macrocephala 15g, Poria 15g, Lycopodium 10g, Sandy nut 5g, crushed, Aromatic herb 10g, Liang Jiang 10g, Neijin 10g, Jiao Sanxian 15g, Hou Pu 10g, Citrus aurantium 15g, Salvia 15g, Buddha’s hand 15g, seven payments, July 29, 2008. On July 29, 2008, I took two doses of this medicine and my appetite improved. In the past, it was basically impossible to eat at dinner, and after eating, the abdominal distension was unbearable, but now I can eat normally at dinner (about two to three taels), no abdominal distension after eating, and I can still drink 250ml of milk before going to bed. The tongue is dark red, with thin yellow tongue coating and sunken pulse. To consolidate the therapeutic effect, the above was changed to Dan Pi 15g, Yu Jin 15g, plus Lycium barbarum 15g, seven payments. On August 5, 2008, the follow-up examination, the amount of meals is good, 3 taels per meal, the abdomen is not distended, the weight from 86 kg (20 years) before surgery, to 95 kg, now there is a dry cough, the front add fishy grass 15g, orris 10g, licorice 10g, almonds 10g, reduce Liang Jiang, vinegar Chai Hu. Consolidation treatment, followed by seven payments. After the medicine, the diet improved significantly, the physical condition improved, and a course of radiotherapy was carried out. Continue to use Chinese herbal medicine to regulate. Characteristics of this case: The patient had a history of tuberculosis, poor physique, long-term poor appetite and low food intake. After suffering from breast cancer, her mental stress caused her appetite, mental and physical strength to be even worse. The diagnosis of Chinese medicine is due to liver stagnation and heat, liver and stomach disharmony, weakness of spleen qi and abnormal transportation. After treatment with Chinese herbal medicines to clear liver heat, harmonize spleen and stomach, and promote qi and blood, all the symptoms will be relieved.