Therapeutic Applications of Herbal Medicines for Cancer Patients

作者：Shu‐Yi Yin, Wen‐Chi Wei, Feng-Yin Jian, Ning‐Sun Yang · 发表于：Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine · 年份：2013 · DOI：10.1155/2013/302426 · 被引用次数：384 · 研究领域：Pharmacological Effects of Natural Compounds、Medicinal Plants and Bioactive Compounds、Ethnobotanical and Medicinal Plants Studies

Medicinal herbs and their derivative phytocompounds are being increasingly recognized as useful complementary treatments for cancer. A large volume of clinical studies have reported the beneficial effects of herbal medicines on the survival, immune modulation, and quality of life (QOL) of cancer patients, when these herbal medicines are used in combination with conventional therapeutics. Here, we briefly review some examples of clinical studies that investigated the use of herbal medicines for various cancers and the development of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in this emerging research area. In addition, we also report recent studies on the biochemical and cellular mechanisms of herbal medicines in specific tumor microenvironments and the potential application of specific phytochemicals in cell-based cancer vaccine systems. This review should provide useful technological support for evidence-based application of herbal medicines in cancer therapy.