Department of Oncology, Clinical and Basic Research Team of TCM Prevention and Treatment of NSCLC, The Second Clinical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510120, P. R. China.
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Clinical Research on Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510120, P. R. China.
Am J Chin Med. 2020;48(7):1577-1592. doi: 10.1142/S0192415X20500780. Epub 2020 Nov 13.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) plays a critical role in treating cancer patients. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is the main component of CAM. TCM, especially Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM), has been increasingly used in China, some other Asian countries and European countries. It has been proven to enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted-therapy, and immunotherapy. It lessens the damage caused by these therapies. CHM functions on cancer by inhibiting tumor progression and improving an organism's immune system. Increasing evidence has shown that many CHM exert favorable effects on the immune regulation. We will summarize the role of CHM on patient's immune system when treating cancer patients. Our evidence reveals that single herbs, including their extracts, compound formulations, and preparations, will provide current advances on CHM study, especially from the perspective of immune regulation and novel insights for CHM application in clinic. The main herbs used to treat cancer patients are health-strengthening () herbs and pathogen eliminating () herbs. The key mechanism is regulating the immune system of cancer patients. Firstly, health-strengthening herbs are mainly functioned as immune regulatory effectors on cancer. Secondly, some of the compound formulations mainly strengthen the health of patients by regulating the immune system of cancer patients. Lastly, some Chinese medicine preparations are widely used to treat cancer for their properties of spiriting vital energy and anti-cancer effects, mainly by improving immunity. CHM plays a positive role in regulating patients' immune system, which helps cancer patients to fight against cancer itself and finally improves patients' life quality.
补充和替代医学（CAM）在癌症患者的治疗中起着至关重要的作用。传统中药（TCM）是 CAM 的主要组成部分。TCM，特别是中药（CHM），在中国、其他一些亚洲国家和欧洲国家的应用日益增多。它已被证明可以提高化疗、放疗、靶向治疗和免疫治疗的疗效，减轻这些疗法造成的损害。CHM 通过抑制肿瘤进展和改善机体免疫系统来治疗癌症。越来越多的证据表明，许多 CHM 对免疫调节有良好的作用。我们将总结 CHM 在治疗癌症患者时对患者免疫系统的作用。我们的证据表明，单味草药，包括其提取物、复方制剂和制剂，将为 CHM 研究提供当前的进展，特别是从免疫调节和 CHM 在临床应用的新视角提供新的见解。用于治疗癌症患者的主要草药有补虚（）草药和祛邪（）草药。关键机制是调节癌症患者的免疫系统。首先，补虚草药主要作为癌症患者免疫调节剂发挥作用。其次，一些复方制剂主要通过调节癌症患者的免疫系统来增强患者的健康。最后，一些中药制剂因其补气和抗癌作用而被广泛用于治疗癌症，主要是通过提高免疫力。CHM 在调节患者免疫系统方面发挥着积极作用，有助于癌症患者对抗癌症本身，最终提高患者的生活质量。
