The Role of Chinese Medicine as a Complementary Therapy in the Management of Obesity-Associated Colorectal Cancer

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) has recently been identified as the world's third commonest cause of cancer death, accounting for 900,000 deaths per year. Obesity-related CRC has also been on the rise, with research indicating that increasing body mass index (BMI) is associated with an increased risk of CRC. As a result, there is a need to find safe and effective treatment options for CRC, and one potential complementary therapy might be Chinese medicine (CM), which has gained popularity in recent years. Scope and Approach: This review focuses on the role of CM as a complementary therapy in obesity-associated CRC. The pathophysiological mechanisms of obesity-associated CRC are first reviewed, followed by an overview of several CM methods for managing obesity-associated CRC. Following that, we will discuss current research on the prospects of integrating CM with conventional oncology and conclude with some suggestions for future research. Key Findings and Discussion: Complementary CM approaches may be beneficial in the management of obesity-related CRC. The diverse range of pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments offers several pathways for safe and effective treatment and has the potential to be used in the management of obesity-related CRC and its comorbidities. In addition, combining CM with conventional oncological methods could benefit patients and improve their quality of life during and/or after treatment. Therefore, we hope that these findings may be applied to the long-term therapy of obesity-related CRC and other cancers.