Synergistic treatment strategies of Chinese and Western medicine among elderly cancer patients
10.3760/cma.j.issn.0254-9026.2025.03.008
- VernacularTitle:老年人肿瘤的中西医协同治疗策略
- Author:
Fei HUANG
1
;
Xiaoguang YAN
1
;
Yu CHEN
1
;
Wenrui LI
1
Author Information
1. 北京医院中医科 国家老年医学中心 中国医学科学院老年医学研究院，北京 100730
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Neoplasms;
Traditional Chinese medicine;
Integration of traditional and western medicine;
Strategies
- From:
Chinese Journal of Geriatrics
2025;44(3):283-288
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
The incidence of tumors among the elderly is notably high, presenting significant challenges in terms of harm, complexity, and treatment.The processes of diagnosis and treatment often lack a precise clinical foundation and robust experimental evidence, resulting in numerous difficulties and dilemmas.A collaborative approach that integrates traditional Chinese and Western medicine, leveraging the strengths of both, can substantially alleviate these challenges and ensure that elderly cancer patients can undergo systematic, comprehensive, and intensive cancer treatments.Traditional Chinese medicine can play a vital role throughout the entire continuum of diagnosis and treatment for elderly cancer patients, whether by leading, assisting, or complementing other treatment modalities.This article employs the concepts of ′righteousness′and ′evil′from traditional Chinese medicine, where ′righteousness′signifies the ′state of a person′and ′evil ′denotes the ′state of a tumor′.We systematically explore collaborative diagnosis and treatment strategies that integrate traditional Chinese and Western medicine for tumor management in the elderly, categorizing the approaches into four conditions: strong righteousness with strong evil, strong righteousness with weak evil, weak righteousness with strong evil, and weak righteousness with weak evil.In cases where both righteousness and evil are strong, the treatment strategy is primarily dominated by Western medicine, with support from traditional Chinese medicine.Conversely, when righteousness is strong and evil is weak, the strategy entails a combination of both Chinese and Western medicine.In situations characterized by weak righteousness and strong evil, the treatment approach is largely guided by traditional Chinese medicine, while also considering equal attention to both modalities.Finally, when both righteousness and evil are weak, the coordinated diagnosis and treatment strategy is primarily based on Chinese medicine, with Western medicine adapting to the circumstances and intervening appropriately throughout the process.By accurately assessing the concepts of ′righteousness′and ′evil′and implementing collaborative diagnostic and treatment strategies that integrate both traditional Chinese and Western medicine, we can significantly enhance the physical condition of elderly cancer patients.This comprehensive approach not only boosts immunity and improves organ function but also increases tolerance to tumor treatments, alleviates complications, reduces adverse reactions, and ensures that elderly cancer patients can undergo systemic cancer treatment to its fullest extent.Ultimately, this strategy aims to improve prognosis, enhance quality of life, and extend the effective survival period.
