Exploration of the effect and mechanism of activating blood circulation and stasis-removing therapy on tumor metastasis

Abstract

Metastasis is one of the specificities of late stage tumor and also a lethal factor often encountered. The study of tumor metastasis has important meaning for prolonging patients' survival and elevating their quality of life, but no really ideal prevention and treatment method has been found so far. Recent researches showed that tumor metastasis is correlated with platelet aggregation and blood hyperviscosity manner. Therefore, the early application of surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and biological therapies, in combination with Chinese medicine therapy for activating blood circulation and removing stasis (ABCRS) may be, after all, an effective approach. ABCRS therapy is an important therapy of Chinese medicine, which, composed of several methods like smoothening blood flow in vessels, promoting blood circulation and dispersing stagnant blood, could influence tumor metastasis to different extents, and could coordinate with some other Chinese medicine therapeutic methods like supplementing qi, promoting qi, clearing heat, removing toxic substances, warming meridian, dispelling wind, eliminating dampness, nourishing yin, dissolving sputum, relieving stagnancy, emptying viscerals, etc. The effect and acting mechanism of ABCRS on tumor metastasis is summarized in this paper and its bi-directional regulatory effects discussed as well.

The Role of E-Cadherin/β-Catenin in Hydroxysafflor Yellow A Inhibiting Adhesion, Invasion, Migration and Lung Metastasis of Hepatoma Cells

“…Patients with liver cancer exhibit blood stasis as a result of microcirculatory disturbances, which increased of blood viscosity, thrombi formation and blood agglutination. 40) Therefore, in Chinese Medicine, increasing blood circulation and dissipating blood stasis are important therapies for treating primary liver cancer in the clinic. Intriguingly it was reported that safflower possessed the ability to inhibit the pulmonary metastasis of mice hepatoma cells, 41) even when HSYA only accounted for 0.70-1.85% of the total content (2.25 mg/kg), which is a much lower dose than the dose used in the present study.…”

“…40) Therefore, in Chinese Medicine, increasing blood circulation and dissipating blood stasis are important therapies for treating primary liver cancer in the clinic. Intriguingly it was reported that safflower possessed the ability to inhibit the pulmonary metastasis of mice hepatoma cells, 41) even when HSYA only accounted for 0.70-1.85% of the total content (2.25 mg/kg), which is a much lower dose than the dose used in the present study. Furthermore, 18) the dose of HSYA we applied to mice in the present study was also reference to the previous experiments of HSYA treating transplanted human gastric adenocarcinoma BGC-823 mice.…”

Spatholobus suberectus inhibits cancer cell growth by inducing apoptosis and arresting cell cycle at G2/M checkpoint

“…Chinese Medicine considers cancer as a kind of disease with severe blood stasis. Therefore the promotion of blood circulation and oxygen supply is an important strategy for cancer therapy (Qi, 1995;Lu and Li., 2009). SS is the representative herb historically believed to be efficient in improving blood stasis.…”

A traditional Chinese herbal formula improves pressure ulcers in paraplegic patients: A randomized, parallel-group, retrospective trial

“…The TCM principle of ‘boosting qi, increasing collateral dredging, activating stagnant blood and dissolving stasis’ (21–24) was applied in our formula and the positive outcome of this study demonstrated that the TCM formula CRFSO is a promising treatment for pressure ulcers.…”