Etiology and Pathogenesis:

Traditional Chinese Medicine holds that the occurrence of lung cancer involves two aspects: internal and external factors. The internal factor is the weakness of visceral functions, while the external factor is the invasion of external pathogens.

The primary manifestation of deficiency involves dysfunction of the lung, spleen, and kidney organs, leading to the production of pathological substances such as phlegm-dampness. Pathogenic factors take advantage of this deficiency and combine with these pathological substances, causing impaired qi movement in the lungs, which in turn results in qi stagnation and blood stasis. Phlegm, stasis, and toxins obstruct the lung collaterals, eventually forming a lung mass over time.

Treatment Principles:

During treatment, it is essential to address the lung mass with therapies such as resolving phlegm, dispersing nodules, detoxifying, and removing stasis, while also alleviating internal deficiency and regulating the functions of the lung, spleen, and kidney organs. This means combining supporting the healthy qi and eliminating pathogenic factors.

In practical application, the proportion of supporting the healthy qi and eliminating pathogenic factors should be adjusted according to the severity of the disease and the patient's constitution.

Generally in the early stages of the disease, when the patient's constitution is relatively good and the severity of the disease is not advanced, we primarily focus on eliminating pathogenic factors, striving to clear cancerous toxins and dissolve nodules as early as possible. Issues with the functions of the zang-fu organs can be addressed later. In the late stages of the disease, the patient's constitution is often weak, and the condition is more severe. At this point, if aggressive therapy to eliminate pathogenic factors is intensified, the patient may not be able to tolerate it. Therefore, the focus should be on strengthening the body's resistance, gradually restoring the patient's constitution, while applying mild measures to eliminate pathogenic factors to inhibit tumor growth. Once the constitution has recovered, treatment can then focus more intensively on eliminating pathogenic factors.

Complementary Therapy:

Given the diverse range of modern treatments for lung cancer, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) adjusts its treatment methods accordingly based on the different stages of lung cancer therapy.

Surgery: Focus on regulating the spleen and stomach, restoring qi and blood, supplemented with medicinal substances that clear heat and resolve toxicity, promote blood circulation, and dissolve nodules. This approach helps the body recover as quickly as possible, while also improving the constitution to prevent recurrence and metastasis.

Chemotherapy: The goal of treatment is to reduce toxicity and enhance efficacy, with therapeutic approaches including fortifying the spleen and kidneys, nourishing yin and clearing heat, harmonizing the stomach and descending adverse qi, and regulating gastrointestinal function. Traditional Chinese medicine can promote the recovery of qi and blood in the body, facilitating the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs. Additionally, some studies in Chinese medicine suggest that it can enhance the sensitivity of tumor cells to chemotherapy drugs, thereby improving the efficacy of chemotherapy and reducing or delaying the onset of drug resistance.

Radiotherapy: The goal of treatment is to support healthy qi and remove toxins to consolidate therapeutic effects, with approaches including clearing heat and detoxifying, nourishing yin and promoting fluid production, and detoxifying and dispersing masses. Traditional Chinese medicine views radiotherapy as a heat-toxin treatment that, while eliminating lesions, also damages the body, leading to symptoms such as dry mouth, night sweats, tinnitus, and restlessness due to injury to yin essence. Therefore, treatment aimed at nourishing yin, clearing heat, fortifying the spleen, and harmonizing the stomach can effectively alleviate various side effects of radiotherapy. Excessive radiation dosage only increases damage without enhancing efficacy. Thus, increasing the sensitivity of radiotherapy is a crucial means to improve its effectiveness. Studies indicate that traditional Chinese medicine can enhance the effectiveness of radiotherapy by improving local circulation and increasing the sensitivity of cancer cells to radiation.

Targeted and Immunotherapy: The goal of treatment is to reduce toxicity, enhance efficacy, and prevent drug resistance, with therapeutic approaches including replenishing qi and fortifying the spleen, detoxifying and dispersing masses, nourishing yin and clearing heat, and soothing the liver and harmonizing the stomach. Traditional Chinese medicine not only helps alleviate side effects but also, to some extent, enhances the efficacy of targeted and immunotherapy drugs. It effectively delays the onset of drug resistance, providing long-term benefits to patients.