Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Sep 15, 2026; 18(9): 119709
Published online Sep 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.119709
Published online Sep 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.119709
Integrated traditional and western medicine spleen-stomach support in geriatric gastrointestinal cancer care
Yu-Yin Lu, General Practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The Fourth People's Hospital of Jinan, Affiliated to Shandong Second Medical University, Jinan 250031, Shandong Province, China
Ya-Ping Li, School of Nursing, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250355, Shandong Province, China
Xiao-Yan Yan, Department of Geriatrics, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan 250011, Shandong Province, China
Author contributions: Lu YL initiated research, Li YP designed the experiments and conducted clinical data collection, performed postoperative follow-up and recorded the data; Lu YL and Yan XY conducted the collation and statistical analysis, and wrote the original manuscript and revised the paper; all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflict of interests to declare.
Corresponding author: Xiao-Yan Yan, Department of Geriatrics, Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 42 Wenhua West Road, Lixia District, Jinan 250011, Shandong Province, China. sharon.yan@163.com
Received: March 3, 2026
Revised: March 26, 2026
Accepted: April 20, 2026
Published online: September 15, 2026
Processing time: 175 Days and 5.8 Hours
Revised: March 26, 2026
Accepted: April 20, 2026
Published online: September 15, 2026
Processing time: 175 Days and 5.8 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This review outlines the integrative “strengthening and protecting the spleen and stomach” approach in supportive care for elderly patients with advanced gastrointestinal tumors. By combining spleen-invigorating, stomach-harmonizing methods with nutritional and symptom management, it shows synergistic benefits in improving anorexia-cachexia, reducing treatment toxicities, alleviating pain and opioid side effects, and relieving fatigue. This strategy enhances quality of life and treatment tolerance, offering new insights into integrative supportive oncology.