Can traditional Chinese medicine prolong the survival of patients with advanced tumors?
This is certainly feasible. In outpatient clinics, we often encounter many elderly patients with advanced lung cancer. For instance, for patients over 75 years old, we generally do not recommend radiotherapy or chemotherapy, as they are too old to tolerate the side effects. Additionally, many elderly patients lack pathological diagnoses, making them ineligible for targeted therapies and similar treatments. In such cases, we often advise patients to take traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). TCM serves two primary purposes: first, it has anti-tumor effects, which can slow the progression of the tumor; second, it helps regulate the patient's overall health, such as replenishing qi, warming yang, and other adjustments tailored to their specific symptoms. As a result, these patients often exhibit good mental states, maintain their appetite and sleep, and retain their physical strength. This approach is what we refer to as "living with the tumor." Given that tumors in elderly patients typically progress slowly, combining TCM regulation with anti-cancer Chinese patent medicines can achieve the goal of prolonging life and improving quality of life while coexisting with the tumor.