Traditional Chinese Medicine for Breast Cancer: A Review

Rui-Qi Feng,1 De-Hui Li,2 Xu-Kuo Liu,1 Xiao-Hui Zhao,1 Qian-Er Wen,1 Ying Yang1 1Graduate School of Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, People’s Republic of China; 2Oncology Department II, the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei University of Chinese Medicine (Hebei Province Hospital of Chinese Medicine), Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: De-Hui Li, Email 258289951@qq.comAbstract: A total of 18% of global breast cancer (BC) deaths are attributed to BC in China, making it one of the five most common cancers there. There has been a steady rise in BC morbidity and mortality in women in the last few years and it is now a leading cancer among Chinese women. Conventional treatments for BC are currently effective but have several limitations and disadvantages, and Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plays a vital role in the overall process of cancer prevention and therapy. It is known that TCM can treat a variety of conditions at a variety of sites and targets. In recent years, increasingly, research has been conducted on TCM’s ability to treat BC. TCM has shown positive results in the treatment of breast cancer and the adverse effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. This review describes the progress of clinical observation and mechanism research of TCM in the treatment of breast cancer in recent years. It provides some ideas and theoretical basis for the treatment of BC with TCM.Keywords: formulas, acupuncture, mechanism of action, therapy