TCM's understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of kidney cancer

TCM's understanding of kidney cancer can be traced back to the medical classic Huangdi Neijing more than 2,000 years ago. Later, there were corresponding records in the Golden Chamber, Zhubingyuanhoulun, Waitai Miyao, and Leizhengzhicai. TCM calls kidney cancer "kidney accumulation", "phlegm addiction", "drowning blood", "accumulation", etc.

Traditional Chinese medicine has a long history of understanding kidney cancer. After the symptoms of this disease were first recorded in the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, doctors of all generations have made many explorations and additions to the understanding and treatment of this disease from different perspectives, and gradually formed a relatively complete diagnosis and treatment system.

After comprehensive consideration of the arguments of various doctors, it was found that they all agreed that the onset of renal cancer is closely related to the kidney, bladder, spleen, liver and other internal organs. The waist is the home of the kidney, and the kidney and bladder are mutually exterior and interior; the kidney governs water, and the spleen governs the transportation and transformation of water and moisture. The cause of this disease is mostly due to excessive sexual intercourse, which damages the kidney qi; or eating disorders, spleen dysfunction; or emotional injury, liver qi stagnation; or old age and physical weakness, kidney deficiency; or careless living, the body is exposed to cold, and evil qi invades from the outside, so that water and moisture cannot be transformed, the spleen and kidney are injured, and dampness and poison are generated internally, accumulating in the waist. Over time, qi stagnation and blood stasis condense into masses.

Kidney cancer is manifested by low back pain, and there is something under the ribs when pressing the lower abdomen, which can be moved by pushing. Dampness turns into heat, flows down to the bladder, burns the meridians, and causes blood heat to flow wildly, which can cause hematuria that does not heal for a long time. The kidney is connected to the true yin and primordial yang. In the early stage of the disease, hematuria does not stop, which causes kidney yin deficiency. Over time, the yin damages the yang, and symptoms of kidney yang deficiency such as pale complexion and cold limbs can be seen. After that, the patient gradually eats less and becomes thinner, and both yin and yang are damaged, which is ultimately a failure.