herbal medicine for oral squamous cell carcinoma treatment

herbal medicine for oral squamous cell carcinoma treatment: a systematic review

although lots of great achievements have been gained in the battle against cancer during the past decades, cancer is still the leading cause of death in the world including in developing countries. oral squamous cell carcinomas (oscc) can originate in any location of the mucosa, but the sites most frequently affected are the tongue and floor of the mouth. it predominantly affects men between the fifth and sixth decades of life, being rare in patients under 40 years of age.

however, its incidence in younger patients has increased in recent decades. herbal medicinal products are commonly prescribed for the prevention, treatment, and cure of diseases for thousands of years. over the past decades, the exploration in the area of herbal psychopharmacology has received much attention.

in this review, we aimed to introduce the mechanisms of herbal medicine, as an option of individualized therapy, in treating oral scc. herbal medicine could be used as a complementary and alternative medicine (cam) in human cancers. it could be applied in oral squamous cell carcinoma patients. in addition, it is a good method for alleviating the side effects of both radiotherapy and chemotherapy.