[Application of TCM for dispelling stasis and detoxification in prevention and treatment of liver cancer].

Liver cancer is a common malignancy with high lethality, and its development is closely associated with liver Qi stagnation, impaired blood circulation, and the long-term accumulation of stasis generating toxin, in which toxin arising from stasis represents a key pathogenic driver. The core mechanism of liver cancer is characterized by stasis-toxin interlocking, and the therapeutic approach of dispelling stasis and detoxifying-guided by the principle of promoting circulation to resolve stasis and clearing toxin at its root-has become a major strategy in prevention and treatment. Through distinct methods such as moving Qi to dispel stasis and remove toxin, clearing heat to eliminate stasis and remove toxin, softening hardness to resolve stasis and remove toxin, and tonifying Qi to dispel stasis and expel toxin, this approach exerts important benefits in liver cancer management. The approach of moving Qi focuses on soothing the liver, promoting Qi movement, and alleviating stasis obstruction, exemplified by formulas such as Gexia Zhuyu Decoction, with Chuanxiong Rhizoma, Curcumae Rhizoma, and Curcumae Radix commonly used. The heat-clearing strategy emphasizes clearing heat, detoxifying, dissipating mass, and dispersing stasis, represented by Longdan Xiegan Decoction, and often incorporates Forsythiae Fructus, Polygoni Cuspidati Rhizoma et Radix, and Moutan Cortex. The softening-hardness approach aims to soften hardness, dissipate mass, eliminate toxin, and resolve stasis, with representative formulas such as Biejiajian Pills and key TCMs including Scolopendra, Gleditsiae Spina, and Prunellae Spica. The Qi-tonifying approach highlights reinforcing healthy Qi, consolidating root, and promoting stasis resolution, represented by formulas such as the Yiqi Huayu Jiedu Prescription, commonly combining Astragali Radix, Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma, and Agrimoniae Herba. Modern pharmacological studies demonstrate that these stasis-removing and detoxifying TCMs exert anti-liver cancer effects through mechanisms such as cell-cycle arrest, enhancement of mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis, inhibition of tumor angiogenesis, and suppression of proliferation, migration, and invasion of tumor cells, as well as partial reversal of chemoresistance. Their actions involve the coordinated regulation of multiple cancer-related signaling networks, including inhibition of STAT3, NF-κB, PI3K/Akt, TGF-β/Smad pathways, attenuation of pro-inflammatory and pro-proliferative signaling, modulation of the tumor immune microenvironment, alleviation of chronic inflammation, suppression of HIF-1α-mediated and VEGF-mediated angiogenesis, regulation of oxidative stress, and influence on epigenetic processes such as histone acetylation. By systematically summarizing the multi-target and multi-layered action characteristics and potential regulatory mechanisms of these TCM strategies, this study provides a theoretical foundation and therapeutic perspective for understanding and applying stasis-removing and detoxifying TCMs in the management of liver cancer.