Traditional Chinese medicine - for the treatment of cancers of hepatobiliary system: from clinical evidence to drug discovery

Sep 21, 2026

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Hepatic, biliary, and pancreatic cancer present major clinical difficulties because of their aggressive malignancy and limited effective options, especially when diagnoses occur at advanced stages. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has attracted attention as a promising therapeutic approach with established clinical use in China. This review systematically summarizes clinical applications of TCM with favorable trial results, highlights key therapeutics with validated efficacy, and clarifies active compounds and possible targets to inform anti-cancer drug discovery. It also calls for further work to connect TCM with modern oncology.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages27

Reading Time1 h 8 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Scope and evidence pyramid

Clinical evidence and application of traditional Chinese medicine

Hepatic cancer

Wu et al. Molecular Cancer (2024) 23:218 [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12943-024-02136-2](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12943-024-02136-2) Molecular Cancer REVIEW Open Access Traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of cancers of hepatobiliary system: from clinical evidence to drug discovery Junyu Wu1†, Guoyi Tang1†, Chien‑Shan Cheng2,3†, Ranna Yeerken1, Yau‑Tuen Chan 1, Zhiwen Fu4, Yi‑Chao Zheng5, Yibin Feng1* and Ning Wang1* Abstract Hepatic, biliary, and pancreatic cancer pose significant challenges in the field of digestive system diseases due to their highly malignant nature. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has gained attention as a potential therapeutic approach with long‑standing use in China and well‑recognized clinical benefits. In this review, we systematically summarized the clinical applications ofTCM that have shown promising results in clinical trials in treating hepatic, biliary, and pan‑ creatic cancer. We highlighted several commonly used TCM therapeutics with validated efficacy through rigorous clinical trials, including Huaier Granule, Huachansu, and Icaritin. The active compounds and their potential targets have been thoroughly elucidated to offer valuable insights into the potential ofTCM for anti‑cancer drug discovery. We emphasized the importance of further research to bridge the gap between TCM and modern oncology, facilitat‑ ing the development of evidence‑based TCM treatment for these challenging malignancies. Keywords Chinese medicine, Liver cancer, Biliary cancer, Pancreatic cancer, Clinical trials, Drug discovery †JunyuWu, Guoyi Tang and Chien‑Shan Cheng contributed equally to this work. *Correspondence: Yibin Feng yfeng@hku.hk Ning Wang ckwang@hku.hk Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s) 2024. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.)[.](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.) Wu et al. Molecular Cancer (2024) 23:218 Page 2 of 27 Graphical Abstract Introduction Hepatic, biliary, and pancreatic cancers pose substantial clinical challenges in current medical practice. These malignancies are often diagnosed at advanced stages, leading to limited treatment options and poor prognoses. The unmet clinical needs in these cancers include several crucial areas, such as the development of effective early detection methods, implementation of personalized treatment strategies, overcoming therapy resistance mechanisms and enhancing palliative care approaches [1–4]. Addressing these challenges would undoubtedly bring significant benefit to improve patient outcomes and enhance the overall quality of care in the management of these malignancies. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), rooted in a holistic and individualized approach, offers a promising avenue for cancer treatment [5]. With a rich history of use, TCM offers a vast repertoire of plant-based compounds that exhibit diverse pharmacological activities [6, 7]. These compounds, often used in synergistic combinations within traditional formula, have shown favorable anti-cancer effects and bring inspirations to drug discovery as lead

FAQs

Which cancers are covered in this review?

The review focuses on hepatic, biliary, and pancreatic cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma and related disease categories.

What types of evidence are included to support TCM?

It includes randomized clinical trials and network meta-analyses as the top levels of evidence, plus phase I/II single-arm trials to evaluate safety.

How does the review link TCM to anti-cancer drug discovery?

It highlights active compounds within substantiated TCM formulas and discusses their potential targets and pharmacological mechanisms to guide lead identification.

Sep 21, 2026

Upload by Rowan