Colorectal cancer is a common type of malignant tumor of the digestive tract that covers the entire section from the rectum to the cecum

and its incidence is increasing year by year. The

Case Records as a Guide to Clinical Practice

for the first time put forward the concept of "collateral diseases"

to which "abdominal mass" belongs

thus establishing the theory about tumor based on collateral diseases. Colorectal cancer can be classified as "abdominal mass"

"accumulation-gathering" and "intestinal tumor" in traditional Chinese medicine. Based on the theory of collateral diseases

TCM phased treatment and recovery programs are implemented for perioperative management of patients with colorectal cancer: Before the operation

it is key to dispel phlegm and remove blood stasis

resolve toxins and unblock the collaterals

and remove the pathogenic factors in the collaterals. During the operation

the focus should be placed on supplementing qi and nourishing the blood

fortifying the spleen and dredging the bowels

and warming and unblocking the collaterals. After the operation

the priority becomes supplementing the spleen and nourishing the kidney

supplementing weakness and reconciling the collaterals

and removing the residual toxins. Combined with clinical cases

this paper elaborates on the perioperative management of colorectal cancer based on the theory of collateral diseases.