Significance, feasibility, and perspectives of network pharmacology in treating cancer

Traditional Chinese Medicine （TCM） emphasizes integrity and systematicity. Chinese Herbal Medicine （CHM） is characterized by multi-component, multi-target, multi-channel complex action. Cancer belongs to polygenic disease, and it is characteristic of complex traits of the disease which is determined by multiple genes. Network pharmacology integrates disease network, drug network, and biological system network, analyzes the interaction among diseases, drugs and specific nodes in the network, and studies the pathogenesis of cancer, the action mechanism of drugs and compatibility principle of prescription. In the field of cancer, by applying concepts and methods of network pharmacology, we are expected to find new type drugs-＂biological networks regulatory drug＂. It is helpful for individualized treatment, improved prognosis, and therapeutic effect.