Combination of Chinese and Western medicine is a comprehensive tumor treatment mode with Chinese characteristics. Long-term practice shows that the combination of Chinese and Western medicine is a better treatment option for tumors, especially for patients with mid- to late-stage malignant tumors. Western medicine has stronger ability to kill and injure cancer cells and has better efficacy in the near future, but due to the toxic side effects of chemotherapy drugs, for most tumors, chemotherapy with Western medicine alone cannot improve the cure rate, prolong the survival period and improve the quality of life. Although TCM has weaker ability to kill and injure cancer cells, and its recent efficacy is poor, TCM can improve patients’ survival quality and long-term effect. Organic combination of western medical treatment and TCM treatment can not only effectively kill tumor cells, but also improve patient’s immunity, survival quality, reduce toxic side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, reduce recurrence rate, and improve survival rate, etc. In general, the current combined Chinese and Western medicine treatment of tumor should be based on Western medicine treatment means and complemented by Chinese medicine treatment methods, both of which are complementary to each other. Etiological treatment is to take the cause of the disease as the target of treatment, to prevent and treat the disease from the etiological point of view, and to eliminate the disease from the root cause, which is the advantage of modern medicine. However, if the causes of the disease are multiple or unclear, etiologic treatment is often ineffective or impossible. Pathophysiological treatment is to interfere with and regulate the pathophysiological changes in the disease process through the use of drugs and biological response modifiers to achieve the purpose and effect of treating the disease. All diseases are “genetic diseases”, which can be divided into three categories: single gene diseases, polygenic diseases and acquired genetic diseases. Although there are more types of single gene diseases, their incidence is very low, therefore, polygenic diseases and acquired genetic diseases are more dangerous to human life and health. In the treatment of common polygenic diseases, the mechanism of action of western drugs is often clearer and more intense, but their targets are mostly single. Increasing scientific evidence shows that the action targets of TCM are multi-target and multi-linked, and the mechanism of action of TCM is to regulate the pathophysiological changes in the disease process in a multi-target and multi-linked manner for the purpose of treating the disease. The multi-target therapeutic mode of TCM has certain advantages and strengths in the treatment of polygenic diseases and acquired genetic diseases compared with the single-target therapeutic mode of Western medicine, and this has been proven in practice. There are two main types of pathological changes caused by tumors in patients: (1) local pathological and anatomical structural lesions – reactive changes in the mass and surrounding tissues; (2) systemic pathophysiological changes, i.e. functional changes in the organs of the body, which are categorized as “evidence” in TCM theory. According to the modern medical theory, TCM’s zhi is a pathophysiological process in the modern medical theory, which is a kind of basic pathological process not yet recognized by Western medicine. Our theoretical research and preliminary experimental research results show that TCM’s zhi (especially TCM’s deficiency and chronic solid symptoms) is a kind of pathophysiological process due to the abnormal functional state of cytokine network. Therefore, the basic mechanism of action of TCM is to regulate the functional state of cytokine network for the purpose of disease treatment. The theoretical basis of the combination of Chinese and Western medicine in the prevention and treatment of tumors is that: surgery, radiotherapy, laser, etc. in Western medicine are for the treatment of local masses; chemotherapy is a systemic treatment, and its therapeutic purpose is also to eliminate local primary tumors and metastatic tumors, but not to regulate the pathophysiological changes existing in the body of tumor patients; there are more types of biological response modifiers (Chinese medicine can also be classified as biological response modifiers), although most biological response modifiers have a mechanism of action that is mainly related to the functional state of cytokine network. However, because the immune system is a process regulated by a series of cells and many cytokines, any abnormality of one of them can cause the decrease of immune function. Therefore, there are many causes and links of immune function decline in tumor patients. The principle of TCM evidence-based treatment is to regulate the pathophysiological changes in the patient’s body for the purpose of tumor treatment. Therefore, the combination of Chinese and Western medicine has the dual function of treating local masses and regulating systemic pathophysiological changes, which is the mechanism and theoretical basis of its efficacy. According to current research, the development of tumor is a multi-stage process caused by multiple etiologies, and is a type of disease characterized by abnormal gene expression regulation and malignant cell proliferation, which is a typical “polygenic disease”. Western medicine: the cause of tumor is not clear so far, and western medicine lacks effective measures and methods to prevent the occurrence of tumor, but has only done some exploration in controlling certain environmental factors and related diseases that are related to the occurrence of cancer. In terms of treatment, Western medicine has better effect in preventing and treating local lesions of tumors or functional disorders caused by mass compression, but often lacks effective treatment measures for pathophysiological changes caused by tumors. TCM: According to its unique theoretical system, TCM has achieved some effects in applying traditional Chinese medicine to prevent and treat the occurrence and development of tumors, such as the study on the prevention of esophageal cancer by Zeng Sheng Ping and Liu Wei Di Huang Tang. In terms of treatment, TCM is less effective in eliminating masses, but TCM has a better role in preventing and controlling pathophysiological changes caused by tumors, which is a role that Western medicine cannot achieve at present. Therefore, due to the differences between the theoretical systems and clinical practices of TCM and Western medicine, the treatment of tumors has its own characteristics and strengths, and the correct use of these two means can serve the purpose and effect of mutually reinforcing and improving the effect of tumor treatment.