Mechanism of Therapeutic Methods of Activating Blood， Resolving Phlegm， and Removing Toxins in Liver Cancer Based on Immune Microenvironment / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Primary liver cancer is one of the common tumors in China， which seriously endangers human health. With the advancement in medical science and technology， some achievements have been made in the clinical treatment of liver cancer， but there is an urgent need to find a safe and effective solution for patients with advanced liver cancer. As a unique therapy in China， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has the characteristics of multiple targets and multiple pathways and plays a certain role in the treatment of malignancies. The present study aimed to clarify the mechanism of action of "dispelling pathogens" in the treatment of liver cancer through literature research. In TCM etiology and pathogenesis， deficient healthy Qi and exuberance of pathogenic Qi， such as phlegm， blood stasis， and toxins， lead to the development of liver cancer. The treatment should follow the principles of reinforcing healthy Qi and eliminating pathogens. It has been generally believed that tumor cell is the "pathogenic factor" and the immune function serves as the "healthy Qi". In the treatment of malignancies and the regulation of the immune function of patients， it is often advocated to reinforce healthy Qi to eliminate the accumulation. With the continuous updating of knowledge on tumors and tumor microenvironment， it is also recognized that there are "healthy Qi" and "pathogenic Qi" in the immune microenvironment of tumors. For example， the immune cells and immune factors that inhibit tumor growth can be classified as "healthy Qi" with TCM attributes， while those promoting tumor growth can be classified as "pathogenic Qi". Additionally， as proved by clinical data and experimental research， the elimination methods represented by "activating blood， resolving phlegm， and removing toxins" in the treatment of liver cancer can combat tumor cells and also regulate the "healthy Qi" and "pathogenic Qi" in the immune microenvironment of liver cancer to achieve the balance of Yin and Yang. Based on this， the present study reviewed from the TCM theory and the mechanisms of western medicine to provide theoretical support for the TCM treatment of malignancies by elimination methods and some ideas for TCM in tumor resistance.