AJTCVM

American Journal of
Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

Review of Evidence-Based Clinical and Experimental Research on the Use of Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine for the Treatment or Adjunct Treatment of Cancer

Huisheng Xie DVM, MS, PhD; Betsy Hershey DVM, DACVIM (Oncology); Aituan Ma DVM, MS, PhD

Abstract

Traditional Chinese Medicine includes acupuncture and herbal medicine. Clinical evidence indicates that acupuncture and herbal medicine can be beneficial in the treatment of cancers in people and animals. Acupuncture reduced pain or discomfort, promoted quality of life, or reduced drug-associated side-effects in cancer patients. Acupuncture also promoted the activities of humoral and cellular immunity as well as natural killer (NK) cell activity. It improved patient survival and quality of life as an adjunct with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, Chinese herbals improved patient survival time, quality of life, alleviation of symptoms, and decreased marrow toxicity. Some herbs together with conventional protocols (chemotherapy or surgery) demonstrated a promising outcome in lymphoma and breast cancer in both humans and dogs. The possible mechanisms of herbal anti-cancer effects include: inhibition of the metabolism of tumor cells, alteration of tumor cell membranes and information conduction, inhibition of tumor cell proliferation, induction of tumor cell apoptosis, enhancement of immune function and anticancer capabilities, inhibition of neovascularization to prevent tumor growth and metastasis, prevention of metastasis through improvement of the physical and chemical properties of blood cells, reversal of drug resistance and enhancement of the effectiveness of chemotherapy.

Keywords
Citation
Xie H, Hershey B, Ma A. Review of evidence-based clinical and experimental research on the use of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment or adjunct treatment of cancer. Am J Trad Chin Vet Med 2017; 12(1):69-77

Review of Evidence-Based Clinical and Experimental Research on the Use of Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine for the Treatment or Adjunct Treatment of Cancer

Huisheng Xie DVM, MS, PhD; Betsy Hershey DVM, DACVIM (Oncology); Aituan Ma DVM, MS, PhD

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