Advances in the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Esophageal Cancer with Traditional Chinese Medicine
Keywords:
pathogenesis, esophageal cancer, traditional Chinese medicine
Abstract
Esophageal cancer (EC) is one of the common malignancies with high morbidity and mortality. Despite the effectiveness of modern medical interventions such as surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy in treating EC, complications and adverse reactions still exist. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) plays a crucial role in preventing and treating malignant tumors by employing its unique approach based on syndrome differentiation and the concept of wholism. Numerous fundamental experiments and clinical studies have provided substantial evidence supporting the beneficial effects of TCM in managing EC. The pathogenesis of EC and the potential mechanism of TCM intervention in EC treatment are summarized in this review, aiming to offer a novel perspective for EC therapy.
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[6] Sarkar, F. H., Li, Y. W., Wang, Z. W., & Kong, J. S. (2010). Lesson learned from nature for the development of novel anti-cancer agents: Implication of isoflavone, curcumin, and their synthetic analogs. Current Pharmaceutical Design, 16(16), 1801–1812. https://doi.org/10.2174/138161210791208956
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[9] Greenblatt, M. S., Bennett, W. P., Hollstein, M., & Harris, C. C. (1994). Mutations in the p53 tumor suppressor gene: Clues to cancer etiology and molecular pathogenesis. Cancer Research, 54(18), 4855–4878.
[10] Reid, B. J., Prevo, L. J., Galipeau, P. C., & Mark, J. (2001). Predictors of progression in Barrett's esophagus II: Baseline 17p (p53) loss of heterozygosity identifies a patient subset at increased risk for neoplastic progression. American Journal of Gastroenterology, 96(10), 2839–2848. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0002-9270(01)02798-8
[11] Gamieldien, W., Victor, T. C., Mugwanya, D., & van der Merwe, J. M. (1998). p53 and p16/CDKN2 gene mutations in esophageal tumors from a high-incidence area in South Africa. International Journal of Cancer, 78(5), 544–549. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0215(19981123)78:5<544::AID-IJC3>3.0.CO;2-T
[12] Robert, V., Michel, P., Flaman, J. M., & Frebourg, T. (2000). High frequency in esophageal cancers of p53 alterations inactivating the regulation of genes involved in cell cycle and apoptosis. Carcinogenesis, 21(4), 563–565. https://doi.org/10.1093/carcin/21.4.563
[13] Oki, E., Zhao, Y., Yoshida, R., & Saeki, H. (2009). The difference in p53 mutations between cancers of the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract. Digestion, 79(Suppl 1), 33–39. https://doi.org/10.1159/000167864
[14] Smith, U. (2012). PTEN-linking metabolism, cell growth, and cancer. New England Journal of Medicine, 367(11), 1061–1063. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMe1208934
[15] Qu, W., Fu, J. D., Yang, F., & Yang, B. (2015). Clinical implications of PTEN and VEGF expression status, as well as microvessel density in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Oncology Letters, 10(3), 1409–1415. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2015.3431
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[17] Tachibana, M., Shibakita, S., Ohno, S., & Tanamura, H. (2002). Expression and prognostic significance of PTEN product protein in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Cancer, 94(7), 1955–1960. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.0678
[18] Zhou, Y., Zhang, T., Zhao, J. B., & Wang, W. (2010). The adenovirus-mediated transfer of PTEN inhibits the growth of esophageal cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, 74(4), 736–740. https://doi.org/10.1271/bbb.90787
[19] Sun, Z., Ji, N., Bi, M. M., & Wang, Q. (2015). Negative expression of PTEN identifies high risk for lymphatic-related metastasis in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Oncology Reports, 33(6), 3024–3032. https://doi.org/10.3892/or.2015.3928
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