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Research: COHEN and colleagues, Ame
Listed in Issue 88
Abstract
COHEN and colleagues, American Acupuncture Center, Berkeley, CA, USA, review (69 references) traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of breast cancer. Current recommendations for the treatment of breast cancer are based on the tenets of biology and pharmacology together with a growing body of evidence from the literature. Despite advances in conventional medical screening and treatments, there are limitations to their benefits, especially in advanced disease. Oriental medicine has enjoyed a rising popularity because it is less invasive and offers a more ‘natural’ approach to health and quality of life. Unfortunately definitive literature on these therapies is scant and has not been incorporated into mainstream medicine. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a standardized system of diagnosis and therapy and can thus serve as a model for scientific inquiry. The holistic and individualized nature of TCM still presents formidable challenges to rigorous clinical testing, and as a result most published work in the field is in the form of anecdotal reports and uncontrolled studies. Among the components of TCM, herbal preparations possess complex biological activities that could affect many aspects of carcinogenesis. Many of these have been studied extensively. But few clinical trials have been conducted to test specific hypotheses regarding the mode of action of TCM. The studies highlighted in this review provide some evidence of safety but generally do not possess the design and results to verify clinical effectiveness. Nevertheless, the authors propose that the theory of TCM coupled with laboratory studies can serve as a basis for the design of more definitive trials or TCM for breast cancer. Some existing treatment initiatives in the area of breast cancer prevention and treatment are outlined.
Background
Methodology
Results
Conclusion
References
Cohen I, Tagliaferri M, Tripathy D. Traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of breast cancer. Seminars in Oncology 29 (6): 563-574, Dec 2002.
Comment
Further clinical trials to discover how TCM may be useful both for prevention and treatment of breast cancer would be an extremely useful contribution to our knowledge base for breast cancer treatment.
