Research advances on TCM anti-tumor effects and the molecular mechanisms.

With unceasingly deep researches on tumor cytology and molecular biology in recent years, it has been recognized that tumor is not only the outcome of occurrence and progress of cell proliferative disorders and abnormal differentiation, but also closely related to abnormality of apoptosis. Since traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is easy to obtain and exhibits significant antitumor effects accompanied with less toxic and side effects, it has already become a hotspot for cancer researches. This article is to overview TCM's antitumor effects and to summarize the underlying molecular mechanisms.