title: Therapeutic applications of herbal medicines for cancer patients.
abstract: Medicinal herbs and their derivative phytocompounds are being increasingly recognized as useful complementary treatments for cancer. A large volume of clinical studies have reported the beneficial effects of herbal medicines on the survival, immune modulation, and quality of life (QOL) of cancer patients, when these herbal medicines are used in combination with conventional therapeutics. Here, we briefly review some examples of clinical studies that investigated the use of herbal medicines for various cancers and the development of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in this emerging research area. In addition, we also report recent studies on the biochemical and cellular mechanisms of herbal medicines in specific tumor microenvironments and the potential application of specific phytochemicals in cell-based cancer vaccine systems. This review should provide useful technological support for evidence-based application of herbal medicines in cancer therapy.
authors: Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center, Academia Sinica, No. 128, Section 2, Academia Road, Nankang, Taipei 115, Taiwan.
authors: Shu-Yi
authors: SY
authors: Yin
authors: Wen-Chi
authors: WC
authors: Wei
authors: Feng-Yin
authors: FY
authors: Jian
authors: Ning-Sun
authors: NS
authors: Yang
references: Integr Cancer Ther. 2010 Dec;9(4):331-8
references: 21059621
references: Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2002 Nov;76(2):137-43
references: 12452451
references: Ann Oncol. 2007 Apr;18(4):768-74
references: 17229769
references: Di Yi Jun Yi Da Xue Xue Bao. 2005 Sep;25(9):1164-5, 1177
references: 16174589
references: Cancer. 2003 Mar 15;97(6):1442-6
references: 12627508
references: Biosci Trends. 2010 Dec;4(6):297-307
references: 21248427
references: Br J Cancer. 2000 Feb;82(3):718-25
references: 10682688
references: J Clin Epidemiol. 2006 Nov;59(11):1134-49
references: 17027423
references: Clin Pharmacokinet. 2001;40(3):159-68
references: 11327196
references: J Nutr. 2007 Jan;137(1 Suppl):183S-185S
references: 17182823
references: J Natl Cancer Inst. 2002 Aug 21;94(16):1247-9
references: 12189228
references: J Med Food. 2006 Spring;9(1):55-61
references: 16579729
references: Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue Bao. 2005 Nov;3(6):491-4
references: 16282066
references: J Urol. 2001 Oct;166(4):1311-5
references: 11547064
references: Cell Prolif. 2001 Oct;34(5):293-304
references: 11591177
references: Cancer Res. 2007 Mar 1;67(5):2187-96
references: 17332349
references: J Endocrinol. 1995 Nov;147(2):295-302
references: 7490559
references: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 1999 Oct;8(10):893-9
references: 10548318
references: Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2003 May;79(2):265-76
references: 12825861
references: Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2003 Mar;32(1):233-52, viii
references: 12699301
references: Liver Int. 2007 Sep;27(7):879-90
references: 17696925
references: Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 2007 Dec;27(12):1121-3
references: 18198648
references: Bioorg Med Chem. 2004 Nov 1;12(21):5595-601
references: 15465337
references: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2007 Nov;16(11):2193-203
references: 18006906
references: Cancer Pract. 2000 Jan-Feb;8(1):45-8
references: 10732539
references: J Natl Cancer Inst. 2003 Jun 18;95(12):906-13
references: 12813174
references: N Engl J Med. 2001 Dec 20;345(25):1819-24
references: 11752359
references: Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2005 Jan 14;326(2):282-9
references: 15582575
references: Zhonghua Yi Xue Za Zhi. 2003 Oct 25;83(20):1764-8
references: 14642080
references: Phytomedicine. 2010 Mar;17(3-4):161-9
references: 20092990
references: Control Clin Trials. 1996 Feb;17(1):1-12
references: 8721797
references: Am J Med. 2006 Sep;119(9):800.e1-11
references: 16945616
references: J Natl Cancer Inst. 2001 Dec 19;93(24):1872-9
references: 11752012
references: Genes Dev. 2002 Nov 1;16(21):2743-8
references: 12414725
references: Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue Bao. 2010 Jul;8(7):624-8
references: 20619137
references: Mol Cancer Ther. 2006 Dec;5(12):3209-21
references: 17172425
references: Ann Oncol. 2011 Oct;22(10):2241-9
references: 21355071
references: Cell Mol Life Sci. 2008 Jun;65(11):1631-52
references: 18324353
references: Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2011;2011:731308
references: 21799689
references: Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2011;2011:291843
references: 19920087
references: Urology. 2002 Sep;60(3):369-75; discussion 376-7
references: 12350462
references: Cancer Res. 2011 Jan 15;71(2):435-44
references: 21123452
references: Cancer Causes Control. 2002 Jun;13(5):427-34
references: 12146847
references: Am J Chin Med. 2003;31(4):649-58
references: 14587887
references: Ann Intern Med. 2006 Mar 7;144(5):364-7
references: 16520478
references: Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 2006 Jan;26(1):33-7
references: 16466169
references: Cancer. 1995 Sep 1;76(5):743-9
references: 8625175
references: Arch Biochem Biophys. 2003 Feb 1;410(1):177-85
references: 12559991
references: J Immunol. 2001 Nov 1;167(9):5386-94
references: 11673557
references: Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 1999 Jul;19(7):392-4
references: 11783208
references: Zhonghua Zhong Liu Za Zhi. 2007 Dec;29(12):931-4
references: 18478934
references: Support Care Cancer. 2007 Aug;15(8):985-92
references: 17636347
references: Cancer Invest. 2009 Mar;27(3):334-44
references: 19212827
references: Int J Immunopharmacol. 1997 Jul;19(7):359-70
references: 9568540
references: Lancet. 1997 Oct 4;350(9083):990-4
references: 9329514
references: Carcinogenesis. 2007 Dec;28(12):2521-9
references: 17942463
references: J Altern Complement Med. 2008 Oct;14(8):1027-42
references: 18990050
references: JAMA. 2003 Jul 9;290(2):207-14
references: 12851275
references: J Ethnopharmacol. 2011 Apr 12;134(3):953-60
references: 21333722
references: Int J Cancer. 2002 Feb 10;97(5):574-9
references: 11807780
references: Zhong Yao Cai. 2005 Apr;28(4):297-301
references: 16104504
references: Cancer Res. 2007 Mar 1;67(5):1988-96
references: 17332326
references: J Immunol. 2004 Nov 15;173(10):5989-99
references: 15528333
references: Nat Med. 1999 Nov;5(11):1216
references: 10545959
references: Am J Chin Med. 2010;38(1):15-25
references: 20128041
references: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2007 Mar 20;104(12):5103-8
references: 17372229
references: Mutagenesis. 2005 Jul;20(4):237-43
references: 15956041
references: Phytomedicine. 2009 Oct;16(10):950-9
references: 19553096
references: Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2000 Dec;68(6):598-604
references: 11180019
references: Clin Cancer Res. 2009 Sep 1;15(17):5435-44
references: 19690196
references: Clin Colorectal Cancer. 2003 Feb;2(4):253-6
references: 12620148
references: J Hepatol. 1998 Oct;29(4):642-9
references: 9824275
references: J Ethnopharmacol. 2012 Jul 13;142(2):548-56
references: 22658988
references: Integr Cancer Ther. 2007 Sep;6(3):208-34
references: 17761635
references: J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Nov 12;56(21):9892-8
references: 18841980
references: Food Chem Toxicol. 2008 Aug;46(8):2606-10
references: 18614266
references: Chin J Integr Med. 2010 Oct;16(5):411-6
references: 20535582
references: Nat Rev Cancer. 2012 Dec;12(12):860-75
references: 23151605
references: Nat Rev Cancer. 2003 Nov;3(11):845-58
references: 14668815
references: Int J Epidemiol. 2001 Jun;30(3):526-31
references: 11416076
references: Int J Oncol. 2005 Jan;26(1):217-24
references: 15586243
references: Ann Intern Med. 2001 Apr 17;134(8):663-94
references: 11304107
references: Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2005 Nov;26(11):558-63
references: 16185775
references: Nat Med. 2011 Oct 11;17(10):1217-20
references: 21989013
references: J Biomed Sci. 2012 Apr 12;19:42
references: 22494696
references: Nat Rev Cancer. 2007 Feb;7(2):139-47
references: 17218951
references: Altern Med Rev. 2009 Jun;14(2):141-53
references: 19594223
references: Cancer. 1998 Aug 15;83(4):777-82
references: 9708945
references: Lancet. 2002 Jun 29;359(9325):2213-5
references: 12103281
references: Science. 2004 Nov 5;306(5698):966-8
references: 15528423
references: Nature. 2008 Jul 24;454(7203):436-44
references: 18650914
references: Eur J Cancer. 2002 Dec;38(18):2347-61
references: 12460778
references: Mol Biother. 1992 Sep;4(3):143-6
references: 1445669
references: N Engl J Med. 2003 Jul 24;349(4):366-81
references: 12878745
references: Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Xue Bao. 2005 Jul;3(4):260-2
references: 16009099
references: J Altern Complement Med. 2000 Dec;6(6):531-8
references: 11152058
references: Vaccine. 2010 Jul 12;28(31):4945-54
references: 20653103
references: BMC Complement Altern Med. 2012 Aug 01;12:112
references: 22853619
references: J Hepatol. 2003 Jun;38(6):762-9
references: 12763369
references: J Nutr. 2000 Feb;130(2S Suppl):467S-471S
references: 10721931
references: Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2012 Nov;61(11):1989-2002
references: 22527248
references: Chest. 1997 Apr;111(4):1061-76
references: 9106589
references: BMC Genomics. 2010 Nov 01;11:612
references: 21040561
references: Ann Intern Med. 2001 Oct 16;135(8 Pt 1):594-600
references: 11601931
references: Lung Cancer. 2002 Nov;38 Suppl 2:S29-32
references: 12431826
references: Sci Transl Med. 2010 Aug 18;2(45):45ra59
references: 20720216
references: Nat Rev Cancer. 2006 Jul;6(7):546-58
references: 16794637
references: Urology. 2002 Feb;59(2):272-6
references: 11834401
references: Complement Ther Med. 2001 Dec;9(4):246-9
references: 12184354
references: Hepatogastroenterology. 2005 Mar-Apr;52(62):587-90
references: 15816483
references: J Ethnopharmacol. 2011 Dec 8;138(3):652-61
references: 22032843
references: Nutr Cancer. 2004;48(1):95-105
references: 15203383
references: J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 2004 Dec 5;812(1-2):53-70
references: 15556488
references: Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2006 Feb;95(3):199-209
references: 16254687
references: Integr Cancer Ther. 2011 Sep;10(3):240-59
references: 21964510
references: Am J Clin Nutr. 1999 Sep;70(3 Suppl):439S-450S
references: 10479216
references: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 1995 Jun;4(4):401-8
references: 7655337
references: World J Gastroenterol. 2008 Sep 7;14(33):5210-6
references: 18777599
references: J Biomed Sci. 2004 May-Jun;11(3):418-22
references: 15067226
references: J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2006 May;132(5):275-86
references: 16435142
references: Chin J Integr Med. 2009 Dec;15(6):415-9
references: 20082245
references: Am J Chin Med. 2008;36(4):665-74
references: 18711764
references: Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 2005 Jan;25(1):8-11
references: 15719740
references: Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:284963
references: 22927877
references: Anticancer Res. 2009 Oct;29(10):4083-92
references: 19846955
references: JAMA. 2011 Oct 12;306(14):1549-56
references: 21990298
references: JAMA. 2002 Jun 19;287(23):3127-9
references: 12069676
references: Mini Rev Med Chem. 2013 Jan;13(1):101-5
references: 23020239
references: Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 2007 Mar;27(3):254-6
references: 17432692
references: Dig Liver Dis. 2007 Apr;39(4):293-304
references: 17331820
references: Carcinogenesis. 2008 Dec;29(12):2252-8
references: 18784357
references: J Natl Cancer Inst. 2002 Mar 6;94(5):391-8
references: 11880478
references: N Engl J Med. 1998 Sep 17;339(12):785-91
references: 9738085
references: J Cell Sci. 2012 Dec 1;125(Pt 23):5591-6
references: 23420197
references: J Hepatol. 1998 Feb;28(2):298-306
references: 9514543
references: Am J Chin Med. 2002;30(1):127-37
references: 12067087
references: Int J Oncol. 2005 Jan;26(1):241-6
references: 15586246
references: Cancer Invest. 2008 Aug;26(7):708-17
references: 18608213
references: Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2004 Jun;85(3):263-70
references: 15111765
references: PLoS One. 2013 May 29;8(5):e64152
references: 23734189
references: Br J Surg. 2002 Jan;89(1):57-62
references: 11851664
references: J Ethnopharmacol. 2008 Mar 5;116(2):207-10
references: 18243610
references: J Urol. 1999 May;161(5):1521-4
references: 10210387
references: Environ Toxicol Chem. 2003 Apr;22(4):921-7
references: 12685730
references: Clin Cancer Res. 2008 Sep 15;14(18):5646-8
references: 18794070
references: J Altern Complement Med. 2002 Oct;8(5):559-65
references: 12470436
references: Cancer Res. 2002 May 1;62(9):2721-7
references: 11980674
references: Invest New Drugs. 2010 Feb;28(1):1-13
references: 19139819
references: Cancer. 2009 Nov 15;115(22):5309-18
references: 19701908
references: Integr Cancer Ther. 2011 Sep;10(3):NP1-NP11
references: 21948133
references: J Clin Oncol. 2004 Jun 15;22(12):2489-503
references: 15197212
references: Hepatol Res. 2011 Sep;41(9):825-37
references: 21682829