There is no doubt that tumors require a comprehensive treatment model. However, this also brings confusion in patient selection. In a muddy environment, we do not rule out the possibility that some doctors will pull in their own baskets and use their own tricks to toss and turn until they don’t work and then talk about integrative treatment. We often encounter inquiries like this: “My relative has liver cancer, it is already at an advanced stage, with jaundice and ascites, western doctors say there is no way out, can Chinese medicine save him?” Some friends and colleagues often ask, “Can TCM treat tumors?” The current development of TCM can be roughly divided into two aspects, or rather two directions, one is to study the effect of Chinese medicine, looking for special prescriptions and medicines to treat a certain disease; the other is to emphasize the inheritance, inheriting the traditional methods such as discriminatory treatment, classic prescriptions and evidence. The former approach is based on natural science pharmacological research and is easily accepted by modern people, but it is often disputed by the Chinese and Western names. The latter is based on the experience of traditional healers, which is not easy to learn and master, and there are still various streams and schools of thought, so it is difficult to recognize the effect. Therefore, there are two methods or ideas in treating tumors in TCM. One is to use anti-tumor herbs, that is, herbs with certain anti-tumor efficacy, hoping to eliminate or inhibit cancer cells through such herbs. This is the source of the commonly used clinical herbs, such as Bai Hua Shi Tong Cao, Han Zhi Lian, Arsenicum and Toadstool. Another method is to focus on the patient’s symptom feeling and physical manifestation, and to analyze the patient’s group prescription and use medicine to improve the patient’s symptoms. Most TCM oncologists use both methods consciously or unconsciously in clinical practice, and the difference can be made only by which is more important or less important. Both methods have their own advantages and disadvantages. Chinese medicine and botanicals provide rich resources for anticancer drug research. In Chinese and Western medicine colleges, drug colleges, medical research institutions and domestic and foreign drug R&D institutions, there are a large number of personnel and resources invested in the research of anti-tumor mechanism of Chinese medicine, which has produced many papers, patents, awards and other achievements and given birth to successful cases represented by arsenic trioxide-leukemia. However, the successful cases are still too few, and numerous researches are stuck in the laboratory. More importantly, the anti-tumor herbal medicines researched in the laboratory need to be purified and the effective parts of the active ingredients need to be found, while the clinical use is the raw material, and the dose and toxic components are far different. Even if it is effective in the laboratory, it may not have the same effect when it is returned to the clinic. There was a famous herbal store in Shanghai, which used to use many kinds of “anti-cancer herbs”, but the effect was not good, but might damage the liver and kidney function of patients. According to the traditional Chinese medicine method, the treatment of tumor does not only focus on localized tumor, but also on the changes of systemic symptoms and functions caused by the patient’s disease. In contrast, more and more modern medical researchers consider tumor as a systemic disease. The development of tumor in modern society often has many links with inflammatory response, immune function, emotion and psychology. The treatment mode of tumor has also shifted from local treatment to comprehensive treatment, and mind-body medicine and integrative medicine are gradually being emphasized by western medical oncologists. Traditional medicine, which was born in the era of backward material and technological conditions, could only understand the condition of patients based on their external manifestations and link various manifestations of patients’ whole body with local diseases to increase the operability of diagnosis and treatment. At the same time, traditional Chinese medicine attaches great importance to “health maintenance” and lifestyle changes of patients, which is of great value to tumor treatment and tumor recovery, and even more so to tumor prevention. However, traditional Chinese medicine has two problems in treating tumors. Firstly, is there any effect on the tumor itself to regulate and improve the systemic functional symptoms of patients? In other words, tumor is indeed a systemic disease, but treating systemic disease does not mean that it is worth the tumor. After all, most patients come with the hope of curing the tumor. Secondly, is it true that Chinese medicine improves patients’ symptoms? Symptoms are a subjective feeling, difficult to evaluate and influenced by too many factors, especially susceptible to the influence and inducement of doctors. There is no superiority between the two methods, the purpose is to cure the disease and save the patient. For patients who seek medical treatment, they need to weigh and clarify their purpose. There is no doubt that tumors require a comprehensive treatment model. However, this also brings confusion in patient selection. In the muddy environment, it is not excluded that some doctors pull in baskets of their own dishes and use their own tricks to toss until they don’t work and then talk about comprehensive. As a TCM oncology practitioner, I can only tell patients that for patients who have lost the chance of radical treatment such as surgery, it is difficult to rely entirely on one modality of treatment, including TCM, to be effective. Using TCM treatment, the more important thing at this stage is to adjust the systemic status, improve the symptoms, and supplement with some anti-tumor herbs as the patient can bear. Moreover, TCM treatment is not only for advanced stage, but also for advanced stage, which can only be treated by “miracle doctors”. Early treatment and regulation of the whole body can help improve the prognosis. More importantly, the healthy lifestyle and prevention concept advocated by TCM are the best weapons to deal with tumors.