Chinese Medicine in Cancer Treatment – How is it Practised in the East and the West?

Abstract

Chinese medicine therapies in cancer treatment are very common in the East. Although it is usually classified as a form of complementary and alternative therapy in the West, Chinese medicine is an independent medical profession in Hong Kong and mainland China. It has a different perspective in understanding health and diseases compared with Western medicine. In oncology practice, whereas Western medicine focuses on direct tumour eradication by surgery, radiation therapy and systemic therapies, Chinese medicine focuses on restoring body balance and enhancing the body's defences (immunity), in addition to some cytotoxic herbal therapies. Most often patients, especially those in the East, receive both treatments. Chinese medicine is also commonly used to reduce side-effects from chemotherapy or radiation therapy, to aid recovery after an operation, to palliate symptoms and to address survivorship issues. However, this raises concerns of drugeherb interactions and toxicity in combination therapies. Commonly used Chinese medicine treatment modalities include acupuncture, moxibustion, diet therapy, prescribed Chinese medicine herbal decoction, single Chinese medicine herbs or supplements and tai chi. Although there is an increasing trend of Chinese medicine use in cancer patients in both the East and the West, the scientific evidence of safety and efficacy is often questioned by oncologists. This article reviews the current evidence in different Chinese medicine therapies in cancer management in both the East and the West.

The 24-Form Tai Chi Improves Anxiety and Depression and Upregulates miR-17-92 in Coronary Heart Disease Patients After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

“…The exact molecular mechanism for the functional role of Tai Chi was not explored in the CHD patients after PCI. The possible side effects of Tai Chi were not investigated, although most reports showed that Tai Chi could reduce most side effects of various diseases (Murley et al, 2019;So et al, 2019). According to our experiences, there is a difference in learning Tai Chi between males and females, but the issue was not explored in the present study.…”

<p>ATAS Acupuncture Reduces Chemotherapy Induced Fatigue in Breast Cancer Through Regulating ADROA1 Expression: A Randomized Sham-Controlled Pilot Trial</p>

“…In oncology practice, Chinese medicine is commonly used to reduce side-effects from chemotherapy or radiation therapy, to aid recovery after an operation, to palliate symptoms and to address survivorship issues. 18 ASCO Endorsement of the SIO Clinical Practice Guideline indicated that acupressure and acupuncture are recommended for reducing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. 19,20 Currently, there are a lot of trials that have reported that acupuncture treats cancer patients in order to palliate symptoms.…”

Spotlight Commentary: Why we need to pay attention to toxicity associated with herbal medicines

“…Chinese Traditional Medicine is often used as complementary or supportive medicine for the treatment of oncological patients 7 . It has been reported that these MHs, as well as dietary supplements, are responsible for 26.8% of DILI hospitalizations, 8 but it is not clear how many of these patients self‐prescribed MHs 7 .…”

“…Chinese Traditional Medicine is often used as complementary or supportive medicine for the treatment of oncological patients 7 . It has been reported that these MHs, as well as dietary supplements, are responsible for 26.8% of DILI hospitalizations, 8 but it is not clear how many of these patients self‐prescribed MHs 7 . So and colleagues reported that their preliminary data indicate that 25% of patients with solid tumours were prescribed Chinese Traditional Medicines in addition to conventional treatments 7 .…”

“…It has been reported that these MHs, as well as dietary supplements, are responsible for 26.8% of DILI hospitalizations, 8 but it is not clear how many of these patients self‐prescribed MHs 7 . So and colleagues reported that their preliminary data indicate that 25% of patients with solid tumours were prescribed Chinese Traditional Medicines in addition to conventional treatments 7 . Very few patients who were treated with traditional and conventional or conventional‐only medicines presented with DILI.…”