Exploring a new chapter in traditional Chinese medicine: The potential of Calculus bovis in liver cancer treatment

World J Clin Oncol. 2024 Dec 24;15(12):1520-1527. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v15.i12.1520.

Abstract

In the ongoing quest for new treatments in medicine, traditional Chinese medicine offers unique insights and potential. Recently, studies on the ability of Calculus bovis to inhibit M2-type tumour-associated macrophage polarisation by modulating the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway to suppress liver cancer have undoubtedly revealed new benefits and hope for this field of research. The purpose of this article is to comment on this study and explore its strengths and weaknesses, thereby providing ideas for the future treatment of liver cancer.

Keywords: Calculus bovis; Liver cancer; M2 tumor-associated macrophage polarization; The tumor microenvironment; Wnt/β-catenin pathway.