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REVIEW article

Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Gastrointestinal and Hepatic Pharmacology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1377592

Treatment of colorectal cancer by traditional Chinese medicine: prevention and treatment mechanisms

Provisionally accepted
Jiaxin Sun Jiaxin Sun 1Ying Wei Ying Wei 1Jia Wang Jia Wang 2Liya Su Liya Su 1*Mingxing Hou Mingxing Hou 1
  • 1 The Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China
  • 2 Inner Mongolia People's Hospital, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a significant global health burden, with high morbidity and mortality rates. It is often diagnosed at middle to advanced stage, affecting approximately 35% of patients at the time of diagnosis. Currently, chemotherapy has been used to improve patient prognosis and increase overall survival. However, chemotherapy can also have cytotoxic effects and lead to adverse reactions, such as inhibiting bone marrow hematopoiesis, causing digestive dysfunction, hand-foot syndrome, and even life-threatening conditions. In response to these adverse effects, researchers have proposed using Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as an option to treat cancer. TCM research focuses on prescriptions, herbs, and components, which form essential components of the current research in Chinese medicine. The study and implementation of TCM prescriptions and herbs demonstrate its distinctive holistic approach to therapy, characterized by applying multicomponent and multi-target treatment. TMC components have advantages in developing new drugs as they consist of single ingredients, require smaller medication dosages, have a precise measure of pharmacodynamic effects, and have a clear mechanism of action compared to TCM prescriptions and herbs. However, further research is still needed to determine whether TMC components can fully substitute the therapeutic efficacy of TCM prescriptions. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the research advancements made in TCM prescriptions, herbs, and components. The findings of this study can serve as a theoretical basis for researchers who are interested in exploring the potential of TCM for the treatment of colorectal cancer.

    Keywords: Traditional Chinese Medicine, colorectal cancer, Prescriptions, herbs, components

    Received: 05 Feb 2024; Accepted: 15 Apr 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Sun, Wei, Wang, Su and Hou. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Liya Su, The Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.