title: Traditional Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of cancer and cancer metastasis.
abstract: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been a major part of healthcare in China, and has extensively affected medicine and healthcare in surrounding countries over a long period of time. In the fight against cancer, certain anticancer remedies using herbs or herbal formulas derived from TCM have been developed for the management of malignancies. Furthermore, there are clinical trials registered for the use of herbal remedies in cancer management. Herbal medicine has been used as part of combined therapies to reduce the side-effects of chemotherapy, including bone marrow suppression, nausea and vomiting. Herbal remedies have also been used as chemopreventive therapies to treat precancerous conditions in order to reduce the incidence of cancer in high-risk populations. Emerging evidence has revealed that herbal remedies can regulate the proliferation, apoptosis, adhesion and migration of cancer cells. In addition to this direct effect upon cancer cells, a number of herbal remedies have been identified to suppress angiogenesis and therefore reduce tumour growth. The inhibition of tumour growth may also be due to modifications of the host immune system by the herbal treatment. However, the precise mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of herbal remedies remain poorly understood and are yet to be fully elucidated. The present study aims to summarize the current literature and clinical trial results of herbal remedies for cancer treatment, with a particular focus on the recent findings and development of the Yangzheng Xiaoji capsule.
authors.affiliation: Cardiff University-Peking University Cancer Institute, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK ; Metastasis and Angiogenesis Research Group, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK ; Institute of Cancer and Genetics, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Cardiff University-Peking University Cancer Institute, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK ; Metastasis and Angiogenesis Research Group, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK ; Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Haidian, Beijing 100142, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yongning
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: Cardiff University-Peking University Cancer Institute, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK ; Metastasis and Angiogenesis Research Group, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK ; Institute of Cancer and Genetics, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK.
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Cardiff University-Peking University Cancer Institute, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK ; Metastasis and Angiogenesis Research Group, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK ; Institute of Cancer and Genetics, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK.
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Sanders
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Haidian, Beijing 100142, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Kan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute, Haidian, Beijing 100142, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Jiafu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cancer and Genetics, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK.
authors.forename: Malcolm D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.affiliation: Cardiff University-Peking University Cancer Institute, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK ; Metastasis and Angiogenesis Research Group, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK ; Institute of Cancer and Genetics, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK.
authors.forename: Wen G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Jiang
keywords: cancer; metastasis; therapy; traditional Chinese medicine