The philosophical strategy of TKM puts emphasis on holistic modulation and improvement of the whole body, rather than just removing tumors or killing cancer cells. It is the patient, not the tumor mass, that should be treated, pursuing the goal of extending life expectancy and improving quality of life. Most chronic diseases, including cancer, are caused by continuous imbalance of the network of body, mind, and spirit. The holistic approach is applicable in the broad spectrum of diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis in TKM.

The body’s internal condition plays a dominant role in cancer onset, meaning that exogenous pathogenic factors can induce cancer only when the body’s own defense system fails. According to TKM, chronic inflammation that cannot return to the normal state is mainly due to Qi deficiency. Invigorating Qi and expelling pathogenic factors are the fundamental therapies used in cancer prevention and treatment and are used alternately or concurrently according to the physical condition of the patient and the severity of the pathogen.

Most modern medicine therapies for cancer concentrate on expelling the pathogenic factor. This makes the patient weak and tired, which increases vulnerability to cancer recurrence due to immune system deficiency. On the other hand, TKM emphasizes the balance of Qi reinforcement and pathogen expulsion, so the clinical purpose is not complete tumor response but partial response or stable tumor disease while maintaining the body’s defenses. This is a more important strategy for a cancer patient with late-stage disease, whose Qi is lacking. Even during the early stage when aggressive therapy can be applied to expel the pathogen, TKM is very cautious not to cause further harm to Qi (Park and Moon 2008).

TKM insists that aggressive therapy for tumor inhibition should be applied to a halfway point and then stopped, because aggressive therapy weakens Qi, which could result in tumor recurrence. In turn, invigorating Qi therapy to activate the immune system also should reach a halfway point and be stopped, because extreme Qi invigoration can induce Qi stagnation, which can also lead to tumor recurrence (Hur 1991).

For the same cancer type in different persons, diagnosis and treatment schemes should be tailored according to their symptom pattern and constitution. The main categories for symptom pattern differentiation include: Yin and Yang, deficiency and excess, cold and hot, and superficial and deep. In detail, common trends in symptom patterns that manifest in many cancers include: stagnation of Qi and blood, phlegm and dampness accumulation, severe deficiency, and interior heat or heat-dampness. The symptom pattern differentiation also takes into consideration the differentiation of the four constitutions. Basically, an accurate symptom pattern differentiation, with individual characteristics such as constitution, can provide the most powerful tool for cancer prevention and therapy in TKM.

TKM suggests that if a person is diagnosed with a potentially fatal disease like cancer, the patient’s overall lifestyle should be modified to focus on restoring a healthy lifestyle, because it is difficult to treat cancer with only outside therapeutic modalities. The first step toward a healthy lifestyle is to step away from unhealthy concern over worldly affairs and seek peace via a mindset change. It is interesting to note that the approach used in psychosocial intervention in cancer is different between modern medicine and traditional medicine. Modern psychosocial interventions put emphasis on an active and positive attitude, with a “fighting spirit” toward cancer and life, in order to cope with disease. However, Eastern cultures and philosophies emphasize the importance of living with cancer while maintaining peace, balance, and harmony. If a patient focuses on winning the battle with cancer, of which the outcome is uncontrollable, it might result in a greater sense of loss for the patient. Instead, traditional intervention focuses on promoting a positive attitude toward care, treatment, and rehabilitation and helping patients accept the unpredictability of life, of cancer, of recurrence, or even death.

Using medicinal plants is one of the vital therapeutic modalities in TKM and requires detailed knowledge of the medicinal characteristics not only of each plant but also of the combined effects of individual components in formulations. Medicinal plant formulas, which usually consist of several plants, are chosen after careful diagnosis. Formulas are built through a metaphorical hierarchy-based TKM theory and are balanced to strengthen the intended effects and minimize any complications from individual plants.

Traditional medicine and its natural products have been rich and efficacious resources for new drug discovery. TKM-based medicinal plants, which have been used in cancer treatment for more than 2,000 years, are now gaining further attention as their anticancer mechanisms and targets are revealed. The administration of multiple low-dose pharmaceutical agents synergistically is in complete contrast to modern medicine, which typically focuses on a high-dose effect of a single pharmaceutical agent. To treat cancer, various kinds of herbs with different capacities to boost Qi, remove blood stagnation, clear damp/phlegm and toxin, and inhibit tumor growth are mixed in a formula. Natural medicinal plants that have been used to treat Jeok-chi or Ong-juh, such as Rhus verniciflua, Allium sativum, Corydalis turtschaninovii, Curcuma longa, Curcuma zedoaria, Sparganium stoloniferum, Boswellia carteri, and Ferula assafoetida, have been studied extensively for their anticancer effects (Table 22.1).