Strategies for the Syndrome Differentiation and Treatment of Malignant Tumors Based on the Theory of Stagnant Toxin
10.13288/j.11-2166/r.2025.10.005
- VernacularTitle:基于郁毒理论的恶性肿瘤辨治方略
- Author:
Luchang CAO
1
;
Ruike GAO
1
;
Manman XU
1
;
Xiaoyu ZHU
1
;
Guanghui ZHU
1
;
Jie LI
1
Author Information
1. Guang'anmen Hospital，China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences，Beijing，100053
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
tumor;
stagnant toxin;
wood stagnation;
fire stagnation;
earth stagnation;
metal stagnation;
water stagnation
- From:
Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine
2025;66(10):1000-1006
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
"Stagnation" is an important pathological state in the development and progression of malignant tumors. However， its intrinsic connection with different stages of tumor evolution has not been clearly elucidated in previous studies. Drawing on clinical practice， this paper proposes the theory of stagnant toxin， emphasizing stage-specific pathogenesis and differentiated treatment strategies for tumors based on the varying manifestations of stagnation at each phase. The theory interprets the pathogenesis of stagnant toxin across the stages of tumor development through the five elements "wood， fire， earth， metal， and water" corresponding respectively to wood stagnation in the precancerous stage， metal stagnation in the postoperative phase， fire stagnation during adjuvant therapy， earth stagnation in the progressive stage， and water stagnation in the advanced stage. Each type of stagnation reflects a distinct pathogenic mechanism， such as wood stagnation giving rise to disease， metal stagnation inducing residual symptoms， fire stagnation resulting in ulceration， earth stagnation spreading toxin transmission， and water stagnation leading to critical deterioration. Accordingly， the treatment principles include guiding wood stagnation with counterflow， dispersing metal stagnation to harmonize symptoms， venting fire stagnation to regress ulcers， depleting earth stagnation to block progression， and controlling water stagnation to preserve vitality. This theoretical framework offers a traditional Chinese medicine perspective for understanding and treating malignant tumors based on the concept of stagnant toxin.
