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Supportive Cancer Care with Chinese Medicine pp 141–167Cite as

Controlling Chemotherapy-Related Side Effects with Chinese Medicine

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Abstract

Chemotherapy remains a mainstream treatment for patients with advanced malignant tumours that are incurable by either local surgery or radiotherapy, but the success of chemotherapy is often limited by the occurrence of side effects. Some chemotherapy-induced side effects may be mitigated by conventional medicine, but a holistic approach cannot be accomplished. Realizing that Western medicine has limitations for the treatment of diseases such as cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease, consumers and researchers in the US are paying more attention to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), especially herbal medicine, as a way to counter such limitations. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) represents the well-documented type of herbal medicine. Traditional Chinese medicine is widely used by cancer patients in Asia as a way to reduce chemotherapy-induced side effects or control cancer progression, but TCM may also enhance the anticancer activity of chemotherapy. The major challenges facing acceptance of traditional Chinese medicine in non-Asian countries lie in the areas of manufacturing, preclinical and clinical studies, regulatory approval, education and legislation.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge Dr Gerald Crabtree for his critical reading of this chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Phyto Ceutica Inc, New Haven, CT, USA

    Shwu-Huey Liu

  2. Pharmacology Department, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Yung-Chi Cheng

  3. School of Medicine, Yale Cancer Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Muhammad W. Saif

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  1. Shwu-Huey Liu
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  2. Yung-Chi Cheng
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  3. Muhammad W. Saif
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Correspondence to Muhammad W. Saif .

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  1. Dept. Clinical Oncology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gascoigne Road 30, Kowloon, Hong Kong/PR China

    William C.S. Cho

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Liu, SH., Cheng, YC., Saif, M.W. (2010). Controlling Chemotherapy-Related Side Effects with Chinese Medicine. In: Cho, W. (eds) Supportive Cancer Care with Chinese Medicine. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-3555-4_7

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