Construction of a goal-oriented efficacy evaluation system for traditional Chinese medicine in the prevention and treatment of primary liver cancer

Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） plays an important role in the full-cycle management of primary liver cancer； however， the current evidence-based evaluation system with the main assessment index of objective tumor remission is mainly centered on randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews/meta-analyses and cannot fully reflect the characteristics and advantages of TCM. Based on the current status of TCM efficacy evaluation in the prevention and treatment of liver cancer， this article proposes the construction of a multi-dimensional evaluation system that is oriented by stage-specific treatment goals and integrates outcome indicators with process indicators. Outcome indicators include modern medical endpoints such as overall survival and recurrence-free survival， and process indicators include short-term outcomes such as the improvement in TCM syndrome， patient-reported outcomes， the remission rate of adverse events， and the discontinuation rate of the core regimen. It is emphasized that the development of standardized TCM regimens should follow the order of theoretical connotation， accumulation of proven cases， observational evaluation， and interventional evaluation. Furthermore， it is recommended to incorporate artificial intelligence approaches into this evaluation system， so as to promote the intelligent and precise assessment of TCM efficacy.