🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Experts in oncology from the Chinese Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine are increasingly focusing on the clinical phenomenon of “long-term coexistence of humans and tumors” (also known as “living with the tumor”) and organizing renowned national experts to develop standardized evaluation criteria for TCM cancer treatment efficacy.
Journalists interviewed Professor Zhou Daihan, chief professor at Guangzhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, president of the TCM Oncology Society of the Chinese Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and doctoral supervisor at the Chinese Medicine Department of Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia. He believes that TCM treatment can achieve human-tumor coexistence.
Professor Zhou explains that TCM has a long history in treating cancer. The earliest record appears in *Huangdi Neijing·Yijing* over 2,400 years ago, discussing the term “Yingliu” (thyroid tumor), classification, and treatment experience. Modern TCM oncology started later, but its hallmark is “human-centered” care. In China, over one million new cancer cases arise annually. Only 10%-20% undergo surgery, about one-third receive radiotherapy or chemotherapy, while over half opt for TCM, biological therapy, or other alternative treatments. Among those receiving TCM, approximately one-third (over 150,000) experience reduced suffering and extended lifespan, with some achieving long-term coexistence for over a decade.
Why does the phenomenon of “long-term coexistence of humans and tumors” occur? Professor Zhou attributes it to the ongoing struggle between healthy and pathogenic forces throughout malignant tumor development. Treatment must balance the relationship between the body and tumor (whole vs. part), ultimately aiming to “treat the disease while preserving life.” In early-stage cancer, although a mass exists, there is no metastasis—“vigorous healthy force, strong pathogenic force”—so treatment should focus on “eliminating toxins and expelling pathogens.” In the middle stage, the tumor gradually enlarges, pathogenic forces intensify, and the conflict reaches equilibrium—treatment should combine attack and tonification, or emphasize attack slightly more. In the late stage, distant metastasis is common, pathogenic forces dominate, and vital energy is depleted. Aggressive attacks would accelerate death. Instead, reinforcing vital energy, nurturing spleen and kidney, and incorporating attack within tonification often alleviate symptoms, maintain vitality, and enable long-term “coexistence with the tumor.” A recent letter from an 85-year-old woman in Guangzhou to the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University illustrates this. Ten years ago, she was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, suffering severe cancer pain, loss of appetite, rapid weight loss down to just 35 kg. Doctors advised switching to TCM. Since then, she has consistently visited the outpatient clinic, taking herbal medicine regularly. Her cancer pain vanished quickly, appetite returned, and ten years later, her tumor remains in place without worsening or spreading—she lives normally, indistinguishable from others.
Currently, nearly half of cancer patients choose TCM treatment, mostly those previously declared “terminal” by doctors. After TCM regulation and anti-cancer therapy, tumor growth is controlled, and more patients achieve long-term coexistence, significantly improving quality of life.