Editor’s Note: From November 6 to 9, 2025, the China Conference on Holistic and Integrative Oncology (CCHIO 2025) was successfully held in Kunming. As one of the largest and most influential oncology conferences in China, the event brought together leading oncologists and researchers from across the world to discuss the forefront of integrative medicine in cancer prevention and treatment. The conference served as a high-level platform for advancing China’s cancer care system and promoting multidisciplinary collaboration.
During the meeting, Oncology Frontier – Hematology Frontier conducted an in-depth interview with Professor Hu Xiaomei from the Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, focusing on the core concepts, clinical practice, and future directions of integrative Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Western medicine in the treatment of acute leukemia.
Q1
You have long been dedicated to the integrative treatment of leukemia with Chinese and Western medicine. Based on your clinical experience, what are the core principles of this integrated approach? How do TCM and Western medicine complement each other at different stages of leukemia treatment to achieve a synergistic “1 + 1 > 2” effect?
Professor Hu Xiaomei: The core concept of integrating Chinese and Western medicine in leukemia treatment is what I call the “dual goals” — to prolong survival and improve quality of life. The emphasis of this integrative strategy varies across different phases of treatment, and the approach must be dynamically adjusted according to disease progression.
- During the induction phase, chemotherapy often induces significant adverse effects, particularly bone marrow suppression. At this stage, TCM interventions focus on alleviating chemotherapy-related toxicity, including gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting) and bone marrow suppression-related cytopenias (such as anemia, neutropenia with infection, or thrombocytopenia with bleeding). TCM offers personalized treatment plans to mitigate these side effects and support hematopoietic recovery.
- During the consolidation phase, TCM emphasizes “reinforcing vital energy and restoring balance” (扶正培本). The goal is to strengthen the patient’s physical resilience and enhance tolerance to ongoing chemotherapy, thereby improving treatment completion rates and consolidating remission.
- During the maintenance phase, when disease control has been achieved, TCM continues to play a vital role in preventing relapse by tonifying the spleen and kidneys, replenishing qi and blood, and improving systemic immunity.
Moreover, minimal residual disease (MRD) is a key cause of relapse. TCM aims to modulate immune function and enhance the body’s natural defense mechanisms to eliminate residual leukemic cells, thereby reducing the risk of recurrence from its root cause.
Q2
At this year’s CCHIO, you delivered a lecture on “Integrative TCM and Western Medicine Approaches in Leukemia Management.” Could you share some representative cases or studies from your team demonstrating the outcomes of this approach—such as prolonged survival, reduced infection rates, or improved quality of life? How have these integrative techniques benefited clinical practice?
Professor Hu Xiaomei: Our team has accumulated extensive experience in integrative leukemia therapy, especially in managing elderly and refractory leukemia. Let me share two representative cases.
- Case 1: During the COVID-19 pandemic, we treated an elderly patient with relapsed leukemia complicated by both pulmonary infection and COVID-19 infection. The patient’s condition was critical, with severe hypoxemia. We adopted a TCM-based regimen focused on clearing heat and detoxifying toxins while strengthening the body’s defenses. The patient successfully overcame the infection and was discharged in improved condition.
- Case 2: Another patient had myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) that transformed into acute leukemia, a subtype typically classified as refractory, with a median survival of only about three months without treatment. The patient also suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and a severe lung infection, leading to life-threatening hypoxemia. We implemented an integrative treatment plan combining Chinese herbal therapy with low-intensity chemotherapy. Remarkably, the patient has survived for over one year to date, with significant clinical improvement.
These cases highlight the unique advantages of integrative medicine in managing refractory and elderly leukemia patients, offering valuable clinical evidence for improving survival and quality of life in this population.
Q3
Based on your clinical experience, what major changes are currently taking place in the field of integrative leukemia treatment? What new directions will your team pursue in future research?
Professor Hu Xiaomei: Leukemia treatment is evolving rapidly with the advent of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), immunotherapy, and targeted therapy, bringing renewed hope for patients. In this context, exploring how TCM can synergize with modern medical technologies has become a key research frontier.
For instance, in HSCT, the conditioning regimen often causes bone marrow damage, and patients must undergo critical processes such as stem cell mobilization and immune reconstitution. Our research has shown that TCM interventions can promote stem cell mobilization and play a particularly beneficial role in post-transplant immune reconstruction.
Similarly, immunotherapies such as CAR-T cell therapy can induce immune-related toxicities. In TCM theory, such conditions correspond to “toxic heat” or “yin deficiency with excessive internal fire,” manifesting as immune-related adverse effects. TCM can help regulate immune balance and mitigate treatment-related toxicity.
Targeted therapies may also induce multi-system toxicities — including gastrointestinal discomfort, cardiac injury, and dermatologic reactions. Here too, TCM demonstrates great potential in alleviating these side effects and improving patients’ overall tolerance and wellbeing.
In 2018, the Hematology Branch of the Chinese Association of Integrative Medicine led the publication of the first national “Expert Consensus on Integrative Diagnosis and Treatment of Elderly Acute Myeloid Leukemia (non-APL)”, developed collaboratively by leading experts from TCM, Western medicine, and integrative disciplines. The consensus has been widely recognized and effectively implemented in clinical practice.
In 2025, we released an updated version — the “2025 Expert Consensus on Integrative Diagnosis and Treatment of Elderly Acute Myeloid Leukemia (non-APL)”, which further standardizes treatment approaches and provides actionable guidance, particularly for TCM hospitals and primary healthcare institutions managing elderly or refractory leukemia.
Additionally, the CACA-HIL (Chinese Anti-Cancer Association Committee on Hemato-Integrative Leukemia), guided by the principle “Winning Against Leukemia Through Integration,” has compiled and published the “Technical Guidelines for Integrative Diagnosis and Treatment of Leukemia.” This book has become a widely used reference among healthcare professionals, especially in grassroots institutions and among young physicians.
Looking ahead, our team aims to conduct more high-quality, evidence-based clinical studies to accumulate robust scientific data. These efforts will further refine integrative guidelines and consensus documents, advancing the standardization and modernization of integrative leukemia care in China.
Professor Hu Xiaomei Department of Hematology, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences
