Colorectal cancer is a common and malignant tumor in the digestive tract. Invasion and metastasis of cancer cells are key factors leading to the high mortality rate and postoperative recurrence of colorectal cancer. Chemotherapy is the main treatment method for preventing recurrence of this disease. However， there are many toxic side effects in clinical application， which seriously hinder the treatment process. Therefore， it is imperative to search for efficient and low-toxicity drugs. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has a long history of treating colorectal cancer and offers advantages such as safety， effectiveness， multiple targets， multiple pathways and minimal toxic side effects， which have made it increasingly popular worldwide. According to TCM， the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer is rooted in both deficiency and excess. TCM formulas mainly focus on tonifying the body to address the invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer， such as Jianpi compound， Jianpi Xiaoai decoction， and Bushen Jiedu Sanjie decoction. TCM monomers， such as emodin， berberine， and tanshinone， mainly focus on clearing heat and removing toxin， circulating blood and transforming stasis， and resolving swelling and dispersing nodules. Signaling pathways play a crucial role for analyzing invasion and metastasis， and research has shown that pathways such as Wnt/β-catenin， phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/protein kinase （PI3K/Akt）， Janus kinase 2/signal transduction and transcription activating factor 3 （JAK2/STAT3）， nuclear factors-κB （NF-κB）， vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） play important roles in the invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer. The invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer can be inhibited via regulating the key proteins and related factors in these pathways. In this review， we searched various literature databases， such as PubMed， China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI）， and VIP， using keywords such as "colorectal cancer"， "signaling pathway"， "invasion and metastasis"， and "traditional Chinese medicine"， to summarize and analyze the relevant pathways of TCM compounds and monomers against invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer published in the past five years. The review aims to provide new insights and references for in-depth research on the therapy for invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer and new drug development.

Colon cancer is a common malignant tumor in the gastrointestinal tract,with morbidity and mortality rates increasing every year.Currently,the etiology of colon cancer has not been fully elucidated.With the deepening of colon cancer research and treatment,it is especially important to establish corresponding preclinical in vivo models.In the treatment of colon cancer,Chinese medicine follows the principle of diagnosis and treatment,adopts the method of supporting the positive and dispelling the evil,adjusts the body's qi and blood,and the deficiency of internal organs to maintain the balance of the body's yin and yang,so as to achieve the purpose of anti-tumor.Chinese medicine animal models of colon cancer can be broadly divided into five categories:damp-heat accumulation,qi stagnation and blood stasis,qi and blood deficiency,spleen and kidney yang deficiency and liver and kidney yin deficiency.Western animal models of colon cancer are commonly divided into 4 categories:spontaneous,induced,transplanted and genetically engineered.The paper summarizes the construction methods and characteristics of colon cancer animal models currently commonly used in Chinese and western medicine,and summarizes,analyzes and concludes the colon cancer animal models based on three aspects:how to select animal models,comparison of Chinese and western medicine modeling methods and evaluation of modeling success,with a view to finding suitable modeling methods for preclinical experiments,so as to provide guidance for the selection of animal models of colon cancer.

Colon cancer is a common malignant tumor in the gastrointestinal tract,with morbidity and mortality rates increasing every year.Currently,the etiology of colon cancer has not been fully elucidated.With the deepening of colon cancer research and treatment,it is especially important to establish corresponding preclinical in vivo models.In the treatment of colon cancer,Chinese medicine follows the principle of diagnosis and treatment,adopts the method of supporting the positive and dispelling the evil,adjusts the body's qi and blood,and the deficiency of internal organs to maintain the balance of the body's yin and yang,so as to achieve the purpose of anti-tumor.Chinese medicine animal models of colon cancer can be broadly divided into five categories:damp-heat accumulation,qi stagnation and blood stasis,qi and blood deficiency,spleen and kidney yang deficiency and liver and kidney yin deficiency.Western animal models of colon cancer are commonly divided into 4 categories:spontaneous,induced,transplanted and genetically engineered.The paper summarizes the construction methods and characteristics of colon cancer animal models currently commonly used in Chinese and western medicine,and summarizes,analyzes and concludes the colon cancer animal models based on three aspects:how to select animal models,comparison of Chinese and western medicine modeling methods and evaluation of modeling success,with a view to finding suitable modeling methods for preclinical experiments,so as to provide guidance for the selection of animal models of colon cancer.