title: [Kampo Therapy for Patients with Cancer--The Role of Kampo Medicine in Team Therapy].
abstract: This study details the role of Kampo medicine in cancer therapy. Cancer normally cannot be cured only with Kampo medicine. Therefore, Kampo should be administered in combination with surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy. In that context, Kampo is useful in team therapy for patients with cancer. One of the characteristics of Kampo medicine is that Kampo diagnosis does not target the disease, but the patient with the disease. Kampo diagnosis is called"pattern diagnosis". Many patients with cancer are diagnosed with a"deficiency pattern","cold pattern","qi deficiency pattern", or"blood deficiency pattern". Based on these diagnoses, hochuekkito or juzentaihoto are often used for patients with cancer. Many other Kampo formulae can be used for patients with cancer diagnosed with the"qi deficiency pattern"and/or"blood deficiency pattern". Kampo is not only considered an herbal therapy, but also acupuncture/moxibustion and Yojo (nourishing life). To implement these Kampo modalities comprehensively, team therapy is essential. In order to treat a patient with cancer, rather than the cancer itself, Kampo can be used effectively.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Environment and Information Study, Keio University.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006801:Humans; D020835:Medicine, Kampo / Q000009:adverse effects; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D065126:Palliative Medicine; D010348:Patient Care Team; D012008:Recurrence