癌症转移亚临床阶段核心病机“正虚伏毒”学说

Theory of“hidden toxicity due to vital qi deficiency”as core pathogenesis for subclinical stage of cancer metastasis

提出并验证“正虚伏毒”为癌症转移亚临床阶段的核心病机。癌症转移发生中存在“正气”与“伏毒”交争的过程,即“正胜则毒伏不作、正虚则毒出为病”,其实质是癌细胞与宿主抑癌力量之间的博弈。实体瘤根治术后残余癌细胞(如循环肿瘤细胞、播散肿瘤细胞、休眠肿瘤细胞等)潜伏于体内处于休眠期或静止期,待正气亏虚时(即免疫监视和免疫清除效率下降时),癌细胞从静止期进入增殖期而导致临床转移事件的发生。因此,从形、气、神层面全面调护患者正气是预防癌症转移发生的关键策略。

The theory of“hidden toxicity due to vital qi deficiency”as the core pathogenesis of cancer metastasis in the subclinical stage has been proposed and verified.In the process of cancer metastasis,there is a struggle between“vital qi”and“hidden toxicity”.“If vital qi prevails,the hidden toxicity will be subdued without causing diseases;however,if vital qi is weak,the hidden toxicity will burst out to cause diseases”.The essence actually is the fight between cancer cells and the host’s cancer suppression power.After the radical resection of solid tumors,the residual cancer cells(e.g.,circulating tumor cells,disseminated tumor cells,dormant tumor cells,etc.)are latent in the body,being in the dormant or quiescent phase.When there is a deficiency of vital qi(i.e.,when the immune surveillance and immune clearance efficiency decreases),cancer cells will enter the proliferative phase from the quiescent phase,leading to the occurrence of clinical metastasis.Therefore,the key strategy to prevent the occurrence of cancer metastasis is to comprehensively regulate the patient’s vital qi in terms of form,qi and spirit.