Chinese Medical Ethics in Some Diseases

Cancer and Traditional Chinese Medicine

1. How is cancer regarded in Traditional Chinese Medicine?

Just as cancer in English is derived from the Latin word for crab, symbolizing both the hardness and the dissemination of the tumor like a crab extending its legs outward, the Chinese name is derived from the word for rock, describing the tumor's uneven surface and hard quality.

2. What causes the cancer according to TCM?

In regard to etiology and pathogenesis of cancers in traditional Chinese medicine, although there have been may expositions for different kinds of cancer, it is not taken as a local disease; it is understood as a general disease with the tumor mass as a local manifestation.

Common etiology includes "internal" and "external" causes. The former are mostly referred to as constitutional and emotional. Cancer occurs frequently in the aged with weakened constitution and lowered body resistance, particularly in those with normal functioning of the body impaired by long-term emotional depress. External causes refer to various harmful factors in the external environment, such as toxic substances in food. Chronic stimulation is also stressed.

Pathological changes are recognized on the basis of clinical manifestations. Accumulation of phlegm is usually associated the formation of hard nodular masses, particularly under the skin, such as enlarged