TCM Treatment of End-Stage Cancer Patients Should Focus on Strengthening Zheng and Rooting the Constitution

Because society generally does not value the role of TCM in cancer treatment, about one-third of cancer patients first seek TCM only at the end stage, when their condition is already very poor — whether from severe pleural or ascites, intestinal obstruction, or extremely troublesome symptoms such as severe cancer pain and cancer fever.

However, most patients and their families have excessively high expectations. Even when the patient has reached the end stage, they still hope for treatment that can effectively control or even shrink the tumor, and they do not hesitate to use all kinds of highly toxic Chinese herbs. The final result is often disastrous.

TCM treatment of end-stage cancer patients should focus on strengthening zheng and rooting the constitution (fuzheng guben). At this stage, cancer patients are in a state of "zheng deficiency with excess pathogen" (zheng xu xie shi). In some patients who have undergone surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, the "zheng deficiency" is even more pronounced. Although there is also a problem of "excess pathogen," the righteous qi has become so depleted that pathogen-expelling drugs cannot be used. Therefore, the approach should primarily strengthen zheng and root the constitution; only when the patient's righteous qi has slightly recovered should modest pathogen-expelling herbs be added.

Many patients or their families, after reading TCM anticancer monographs on their own, try using highly toxic herbs such as cantharis (banmao), thistle (daji), daphnes flower (yuanhua), blister beetle (hongniangzi), blister beetle (qingniangchong), arsenic (pishuang), calomel (qingfen), and croton (badou). After using these, the patient's condition deteriorates sharply, liver and kidney function are severely damaged, and it becomes very difficult to turn back.

The elder physician Sun Bingyan was a master of "using poison to attack poison" in cancer treatment. Dr. Sun's writings circulated widely and were highly influential among cancer patients and their families; many people read his works and used the herbs themselves. But using toxic herbs requires clinical experience; without it, self-administration of toxic herbs rarely ends well. Moreover, even Dr. Sun himself, when treating cancer patients clinically, could hardly wield those toxic herbs with ease. According to fellow patients who received treatment from Dr. Sun, the proportion of patients who quickly developed toxicity and deteriorated after his treatment was very high, reaching perhaps 80–90 percent.

In this day and age, such risky behavior is not worth promoting. Dr. Sun devoted his whole life to studying TCM anticancer therapy and still could not wield those toxic herbs with ease. Others who merely cram his writings at the last minute and then rashly try the herbs rarely avoid mistakes.

For late-stage patients with obstruction of urination and defecation, drastic purgatives should not be used. I personally prefer gentle methods — primarily fortifying the spleen and boosting the kidney, with soothing the liver and moving qi as a secondary measure, modestly adding some diuretic and laxative herbs to relieve the patient's suffering before death.

If, after调理, the patient's appetite improves, bowel and bladder functions normalize, and spirit and strength recover, creating an opportunity to attack, then appropriate amounts of poison-attacking-poison or blood-activating and stasis-resolving herbs may be added to inhibit tumor growth. Winning a glimmer of life for the patient step by step and prolonging their survival is a more realistic treatment strategy.

I once treated an end-stage esophageal cancer patient who, after surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, was very weak, bedridden, and could barely lift his head. After Western medicine gave up, the patient's son came to me.

I began by combining Guipi Tang (Hedysari sheng Huangqi, Dangshen, Baizhu, Fuling, Gancao, Suanzaoren, Yuanzhi, Muxiang, Danggui) with the Four Kidney Herbs (Mohanlian, Nüzhenzi, Shayuanzi, Tusizi), plus some Huangjing, Yuzhu, Jiao Sanxian, Roucongrong, and Huomaren. After about a month of调理, the patient's strength recovered to the point where he could walk up and down six flights of stairs on his own.

At that point there was an opportunity to attack, so I added herbs with antitumor effects such as Ruxiang, Moyao, Sanleng, Ezhu, Shuizhi, Tengligen, Banzhilian, Xuanshen, Zhebeimu, and Shengmuli, together with some anticorean Chinese patent medicines. After comprehensive treatment, the patient's condition improved steadily: weight returned, and spirit and strength improved day by day. This patient eventually died after a cold triggered pneumonia. This treatment seems unremarkable, but it is steady and does not take great risks.

Another end-stage patient with liver cirrhosis and liver cancer also came to me in poor condition. After the patient developed ascites, several famous TCM physicians in Beijing were consulted in turn, using formulas such as Wuling San or Shizao Tang, mostly without effect.

When the patient came to me, he did not know his true condition. I first talked with his son, telling him that if they were in a rush to cure the ascites, I would not take the case. If they sincerely wanted me to treat him, they had to accept that progress would be "slow." The family agreed to accept slowness. I then used Xiaochaihu Tang as the main formula, adding some qi-moving and spleen-fortifying herbs to slowly eliminate the ascites. After a month, the ascites was basically controlled.

The patient came to me near the end of the year, and other doctors asserted he would not live through the Spring Festival. But not only did he pass that Spring Festival safely, he passed the next one safely as well. In the third year, after learning his true condition, he was deeply shaken and left my treatment. He switched to several famous anticancer physicians whose approach was more aggressive; his condition rapidly deteriorated, and he died shortly after June 1 of that year.

With end-stage patients like this, it is already fortunate if steady fuzheng guben treatment can greatly improve their condition; most end-stage patients do not achieve such results. If the treatment approach is too aggressive, the overwhelming majority of patients will die not from the disease but from the toxic side effects of the drugs. End-stage patients and their families should face and accept reality and avoid being too aggressive or risky.