Author(s)

Clara Bik-San Lau^1,2, Chun-Kwok Wong^1,2,3, Ping-Chung Leung^1,2,4*

¹Partner State Key Laboratory of Phytochemistry and Plant Resources in West China, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
²Institute of Chinese Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
³Department of Chemical Pathology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
⁴Metronomic Global Health Initiative, Marseille, France.

Background: In spite of the advances in Cancer treatment, limitations exist. Refractory cases and late presentations are particularly worrying. The uncertainty of cure and the high costs have led to the popularly of complementary and alternative medicine in cancer treatment. Herbal medicine has particular attraction because it has been shown to be working on a multi-targets direction: promoting apoptosis of cancer cells, anti-angiogenesis and immunomodulating. Research on creating a simple herbal formula with multiple effects of cancer control has started and showed in laboratory platforms promising results. Metronomic Chemotherapy: Attention on the use of old oral cytotoxic drugs in small doses for refractory and late cancer cases has started more than a decade. Satisfactory and good results have been found to be related to anti-angiogenesis, immunomodulations and cancer cell apoptosis. These findings are comparable to the use of multiple targets herbal medicine. Conclusion: Assumption is made that metronomic chemotherapy, combined with herbal medicine could be achieving synergistic effects and would be affordable to all patients.

Cancer, Metronomic Treatment, Herbal Medicine

Lau, C. , Wong, C. and Leung, P. (2017) A Commentary: Herbal Medicine Offers Great Potential in Support of Metronomic Cancer Therapy. Journal of Cancer Therapy, 8, 86-95. doi: 10.4236/jct.2017.82008.