Mechanism of Chinese Medicine Against Angiogenesis in Lung Cancer： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Lung cancer is a malignant tumor with high incidence and high mortality， posing a great threat to human health. Neovascularization may be one of the important mechanisms of lung cancer. The growing lung cancer cells can obtain necessary nutrients from the newly formed blood vessels， thereby causing the spread and metastasis of lung cancer. Nowadays， anti-angiogenic drugs are commonly used in western medicine in addition to surgery，radiotherapy， chemotherapy， and immunotherapy. However， the resulting adverse reactions such as thrombosis， hypertension， diarrhea， and cardiotoxicity have seriously affected the quality of life of patients. As the recognition of angiogenesis deepens， the selection of lung cancer treatment options has become a research hotspot and difficulty in the field of lung cancer treatment. In traditional Chinese medicine（TCM）， angiogenesis is believed to fall into the category of “collateral disease”. The invasion of external pathogens and deficiency of healthy Qi will cause visceral dysfunction， which can be gradually followed by Qi obstruction and blood stasis and phlegm-turbidity congesting the collaterals. As a result， the collateral function will be damaged， providing favorable conditions for the occurrence of lung cancer. More and more modern studies have confirmed that TCM is able to inhibit angiogenesis in the lung cancer， thereby resisting the tumor. In addition， by virtue of the unique advantages， TCM effectively reduces adverse reactions， enhances the efficacy， and improves the living conditions of patients. Moreover， it can synergize with other western medicine therapies in the treatment of lung cancer， exhibiting a wide application prospect. This paper summarizes the mechanisms of TCM in inhibiting angiogenesis of lung cancer reported in relevant experimental research， hoping to provide reference for the optimization of clinical treatment strategies for lung cancer.