Therapeutic targets of Traditional Chinese Medicine for colorectal cancer

ObjectiveTo explore the role of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer and identify possible therapeutic targets of TCM to provide clues for the use of TCM for colorectal cancer prevention and treatment in the clinic and to find novel directions for new drug discovery for colorectal cancer.MethodsWe used PubMed and Google to search for and collect scientific publications for a full evaluation of current evidence in the literature indicating the potential role of Chinese herbal medicines and their respective ingredients as effective candidates for colorectal cancer prevention and treatment.ResultsWe extracted a detailed description of potential therapeutic Chinese herbal medicines and their constituent ingredients that target different mechanisms in colorectal cancer such as gene mutation, dysregulation of signaling pathways, metabolism disorders, and the inflammatory microenvironment, including both conventional and non-conventional approaches.ConclusionTCM may be a promising complementary and alternative therapy for the treatment of colorectal cancer.